Start Anew
by TweakerWolf
Summary: Set during 6th year, Draco, who is without the Dark Mark is found by Hermione Granger instead of Harry Potter. What will happen when to two meet under less than ideal conditions, both stressed and upset?
1. Chance Meeting

_Setting: 6th year at Hogwarts, Draco (without the Dark Mark) is in the bathroom, stressed and upset. Someone other than Harry chances upon him. His mission (to kill Dumbledore, is what will pull him into the Death Eater fold, he has to prove himself first, instead of already having it) is more than he can handle. Hermione is greatly upset with Ron and Lavender dating (also having not made up at this point) and feeling completely alone since Harry and Ginny are getting close._

Hermione needed to find a quiet space to gather her wits, after seeing Ron and Lavender kissing in the stairway, again. She wiped her eyes and suddenly thought of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Since Myrtle still occupied the bathroom she figured she'd have the place to herself. She hurried over and pushed the door in. As the door closed, she heard someone else sobbing, someone beside Myrtle. Hermione slowly walked into the bathroom, looking around the corner to see someone leaning over the sink. She inadvertently sniffled loudly, startling the person at the sink, who raised his tear-streaked eyes to look into her own. It was none other than Malfoy staring back at her; she felt her jaw drop in shock, tears still rolling down her cheeks. Malfoy quickly reached up his sleeve and pulled his wand out, Hermione pulling hers out defensively.

"What are you doing in here?" Draco demanded.

"This is a girl's bathroom if you haven't noticed, you're the one that doesn't belong here," Hermione retorted through her tears.

Draco stared at her, unsure of what to do, he couldn't stand to have her see him like this, of all people to walk through that door, it had to be her. He slowly lowered his wand and pulled his sleeve across his eyes, "Go away Hermione, please" he said softly.

Hermione started to turn away, putting her wand back in her robes. She didn't need to deal with him right now, and if he didn't want conflict, all the better. She was about to grab the handle when she suddenly stopped, head turning back.

"What did you say?"

"I said go away, don't focus too much on the please part."

"No, I'm not concerned about the please," Hermione said, taking a few steps toward him, "You called me Hermione. You have never called me that, it's always been Granger, at your most polite."

Malfoy turned away from her, unsure of what to say to her, he wasn't ready for this, wasn't prepared to see her like this. He took a steadying breath.

"Okay, so I called you by your name, so what? I'm not myself right now. You're clearly upset by something too so we can both just go our separate ways and pretend this never happened, sound good?"

Hermione just looked at him, daring to take another step closer. This wasn't like Malfoy at all, to be so vulnerable, to not be making fun of her, or casting spells. She wasn't sure what to say, after all these years, seeing him as a self-centered, arrogant pure-blood, he was now vulnerable.

"Draco…?"

Hearing her say his name like that, his heart skipped a beat, he held his breath. He slowly turned to look into her eyes, heart beating faster.

"W-what?" his voice caught.

"What's wrong? Why are you upset, holed up in the girl's bathroom?"

"I can't tell you Hermione, it doesn't concern you and it wouldn't be fair of me to pull you into it," Draco voiced, taking in the details of her face, shocked that she even came this close to him.

"You can tell me Draco, for some reason, seeing you like this, it- makes me want to help you," she blurted out suddenly, totally aware of how sunken his cheeks were, showing just how much stress he'd been under the past few months. Hermione bit her lip to stop it from trembling; just being this close to him made her heart flutter.

"There is so much going on in my life right now, everything feels like it's falling apart, my dad is in jail, which you know, there are… people harassing my family, and I've been tormented by some…thing for going on six years now and I still have no idea what to do about it," Draco finally confessed, in a rush.

"Well I'm not much better, I've had things thrown in my face all year and I'm beyond stressed with all of this nonsense," Hermione shared, exasperated, her voice starting to crack.

Draco heard her voice crack as she dropped her gaze. He wanted to reach up and stroke her cheek but held his hand by his side.

"Hermione, I-I can't stand to see you like this, don't cry," he pleaded.

"Why does it matter to you? You've never cared before," Hermione responded, turning her head away.

"I-I've always cared Hermione, I've always felt… something for you, something I couldn't quite explain. When I first saw you at Hogwarts, I was intrigued by you; you were so smart, knowing all these things about Hogwarts that I never cared to know. But then I found out that you had Muggle parents and my stomach dropped. So of course you wouldn't be sorted into Slytherin like I was, I never got the chance to meet you on good terms. Of course, everyone in Slytherin learned you were Muggle-born pretty quickly, and many of them were jealous of how smart you were, so I couldn't just come up and say hi to you. I wanted to so badly. But every time I saw you, I froze, unsure of what to say to you… and Crabbe and Goyle were always there so I couldn't say anything that they'd tell my father," Draco explained, pausing a moment, looking ashamed.

Hermione's jaw dropped, surprised at this confession. This was the farthest thing she had expected, she didn't even really believe he meant it.

"I… said all these horrible things to you over the years, such horrible things. Each time I wanted to curse myself, here I was, planning some way to meet you privately but every time I opened my mouth I said all the wrong things. And I made you hate me, I know I did, with my words and actions. I have no one to blame but myself," He finished, his voice catching, tears building in his eyes. He was still afraid to look at her, to see the hate in her eyes even now.

Hermione slightly shook her head, unwilling to believe what she was hearing. The anguish on his face seemed so real, so heart wrenching. She felt her face going red at this confession, at hearing those words spoken to her. She knew she should hate Draco, she had always pretended to dislike him, but she could never bring herself to truly feel that way. She had always been drawn to him, he seem so self-assured, positive of his place in this world, something that she lacked in herself. She felt like his arrogant ways were the result of his upbringing but couldn't fault him for it, hoping deep down that he'd realize the world was more than black and white. Draco slowly raised his eyes back to Hermione's, studying her face, trying to read her thoughts.

"Hermione, I know you probably don't believe me, and I don't blame you, but please, give me a chance to show you that I'm not the person you think. A chance to show you that I can care for you, that I can fight the bigotry that my father instilled in me. This past year has changed a lot of things for me, and one of them is realizing that life is too uncertain to keep your feelings locked away inside," begged Draco, tears falling from his eyes.

Hermione remained silent, unsure of what to say, of how to feel. She felt her heart beating erratically from being this close to him, her cheeks flushing from his confession. Before she could think of anything to say, Draco dropped to his knees in front of her.

"Hermione, you are the smartest person I know, you are so loyal and brave, standing by your friends' side through everything. For years now, I wanted to be the one by your side, sharing your battles, smiling at you, knowing that together we survived the year. But it never came to be, and I wanted to tell you all of this before it was too late for me. I'm sorry, so very sorry, for everything I've said and done to you in the past. Please, if you won't give me a chance, at least try to forgive me, even a little."

"Draco, please stand up, I-I-" stammered Hermione, unsure of what to say.

Draco slowly stood up, looking into her face, seeing the indecision in her eyes. He took a small step forward, now only a foot away from her. Hermione was looking up at him, staring into his eyes. She brought a hand to her lips, not trusting herself to say the right thing. Draco could see her hesitation, so instead of waiting for her to speak, he asked a simple question.

"Do you think, you could ever give me a chance to show you the new me?"

Hermione knew in her heart what she wanted to say but her brain screamed no, what would Harry say? She closed her eyes and looked deep into herself, finding the right words. She opened her eyes, not thinking of what to say but trusting her feelings to guide her.

"I- I won't say no to that question, but… I will also say this…" Hermione paused, taking a deep breath. She saw Draco pause, unsure whether or not her news was good. "I think if I were to make any decision, it would first require that you ask me on a date, a real date, not a chance meeting in a bathroom."

Hermione offered a soft smile, eyes downcast, unable to look him in the eye. Draco couldn't believe what he had heard, she hadn't quite agreed to forgiving him, or giving him a chance, but at least telling him he had an opportunity to try. Hermione turned slowly and started to walk away. Draco felt his heart drop, watching her walk away like this. He started after her, reaching out for her.

Hermione felt his hand close softy around her wrist, gently turning her back towards him. She felt her eyes gaze upward of their own accord, searching out his grey eyes. She felt his free hand come up and stroke her cheek, her knees started trembling. Draco lowered his head, meeting her lips with his in a soft kiss. His hand moved from her cheek to the back of her neck, gently cupping her head; his other hand releasing her wrist and wrapping around her waist, pulling her closer. Hermione lost herself in the kiss, her arms wrapping around his back, grabbing hold of his shoulders. Draco gently backed her up against the door, letting go of her head, pressing his palm against the door. Their kiss deepened, both of them forgetting their past and wanting the now. Draco began pressing his hips into Hermione's; silently telling her how much he wanted her. Hermione gasped, surprised by Draco's actions and he took that moment to gently brush his tongue against her lower lip. She met his tongue with hers, pulling him closer, running her hand through his hair, moaning softly, arching her back.

Hermione flicked her eyes open and quickly shifted her weight, turning them both, Draco now pressed against the door. She gently bit his lower lip and pulled away from the kiss, shocked at her own boldness; she was feeling much better.

Draco opened his eyes, shocked at how that small nibble sent tingles down his spine. He looked to her face and saw her biting her lip, and he couldn't believe how adorable she was. He looked at her lips, wanting to taste them again, wanting to hold her tight, to feel her heart beating as fast as his. He smiled at her, hoping she'd smile back. And she did, dropping her gaze feeling embarrassed but she couldn't stop smiling at the moment they just shared. Hermione leaned into Draco, her head tilting up, finding his ear.

"Draco, don't forget, a real date and soon," she whispered softly. Draco rubbed his cheek against her hair, breathing in deep, savoring the smell of her. He felt her kiss his neck and start to pull away, he leaned against the door, to stop her from leaving. He reached over to her, lifting her chin with his fingers, softly kissing her lips one last time.

"I promise Hermione, it will be soon. Now no more crying, your face is too beautiful to show anything but happiness. Smile, I'm here for you now, whenever you need me."

Draco stepped away from the door, allowing her to leave. He held the door slightly ajar, watching her leave. She quickly glanced back, wanting to make sure he was still there, that it was all real. Draco was there, watching her go, a smile on his face, matching the smile on hers.


	2. Second Meeting

As she turned away, she had to remind herself to not run up to the common room with glee. She wondered what would happen next, if, no- when he'd ask her out. He did say that he promised her, and he was smiling as much as she was. She quickly went up the stairs, telling the Fat Lady the password, and then ran up to her dormitory. She flopped on her bed, pulling the curtains around her, squealing uncontrollably. She couldn't stop thinking of that kiss, of how Draco's hands wrapped around her pulling her close. She couldn't describe how happy she felt when Draco stopped her from leaving, that moment was when he truly proved that he meant what he said. By not being willing to let her just walk away, Draco showed that he couldn't stand losing her, even at the possible cost of angering her, because he had to make sure she understood just how sincere he was. Isn't that what all the men do in the movies, go after the girl before it's too late? Draco didn't even hesitate to stop her, and he was so gentle about it. All too soon Crookshanks jumped up onto the bed, meowing to let her know that it was dinner time, pulling her out of her daydream.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she sat up and made her way to the common room to meet up with Harry. She hoped that he didn't notice anything different with her, she definitely felt like she was floating compared to the past week. As she made her way to the portrait hole, she saw Harry waiting for her, relief flooding through her at not having to make small talk with Ron.

"So I take it Ron has already left for dinner?"

"Yea, left just a minute ago, I figured I'd wait for you," Harry replied with a friendly shrug.

"Thanks, nothing like walking down by yourself," Hermione replied.

Together they went down to the Dining Hall making small talk while Hermione tried to keep her stomach from fluttering. She'd hopefully be able to see Draco from the table. She figured she wouldn't draw suspicion by choosing to sit facing the Slytherin table; she normally sat facing that way at most meals. As the duo was almost at Dining Hall, they collided with someone in their path. Hermione saw Harry stumbling backwards as she felt herself losing her balance, but before she fell she felt a hand firmly grasp her wrist, steadying her. As she glanced up to see stopped her from falling, she found herself staring into Draco's grey eyes. She blushed as he helped her find her feet again, offering him a small smile.

"You should be more careful, these stone floors are quite hard," Draco said with a smile, praying it didn't look like a smirk.

"Get your hands off of her Malfoy," Harry warned as he righted himself.

"Easy there Potter, no need to get all riled up," he replied coolly, still holding onto Hermione's wrist. He let go after a moment, motioning Crabbe and Goyle into the Dining Hall.

Hermione felt Draco press a piece of parchment into her hand just before he let go, she held it firmly in her hand as she watched him make his way to the Slytherin table.

"You alright Hermione, he didn't try to hurt you right?" Harry asked.

"Yeah I'm fine, don't worry about it, let's go eat dinner."

They made their way to their table and found some empty space among the Quidditch team. As they piled food on their plates, Harry quickly became absorbed with Quidditch talk, leaving Hermione to eat in peace. She glanced up and down the table, making sure no one was paying her any attention before she opened her hand to look at the parchment. She was slightly afraid of opening it, preparing herself for bad news; she took a deep breath and unfolded the note.

_Hermione,  
Meet me in the bathroom after dinner as soon as you can  
and remember to smile,  
-DM_

A smile broke out on her face as she reread the note, once again thinking of the moment they shared earlier. She folded the note and put it in her pocket, glancing over at the Slytherin table, immediately finding Draco's grey eyes looking her way. Giving him a slight nod, she let him know she'd be there. Hermione somehow managed to make it through dinner, talking with the students next to her, waiting for dinner to be over.

Draco didn't eat much; he was too excited at the thought of meeting with Hermione again. It felt like forever since they parted this afternoon. He couldn't believe his luck at running into her outside the Great Hall. After he went back to the dormitory that afternoon, he realized that he wasn't sure how to approach her, whether he should just walk up to her and start a conversation, or if that would cause more problems for her. Potter and Weasel were quick to tense up around him so it wasn't going to be easy to build a bridge, but the Weasel seemed to be quite preoccupied lately so hopefully that would work in his favor. Draco knew he'd try whatever he could just to talk to her again, even if that meant facing her friends.

After what seemed like an eternity, Dumbledore bid them a good night, and students started filing out of the Hall. As Draco stood and made his way out of the Hall, he motioned for Crabbe and Goyle to head back to the dormitory without him. After they were out of sight he quickly strode down the hallway and made his way to the Myrtle's bathroom. He knocked three times and waited for Myrtle to appear; standing off into the shadows, making sure no one saw him there. After just a moment Myrtle stuck her head through the door and smiled at him before ducking back in. Draco knew it was all clear and walked into the bathroom.

"Back again so soon Draco? Oh but don't you look much happier than before, does that mean you won't see me as often now?"

Draco's smile faded, he looked over at Myrtle, knowing what she meant, "I'm trying to not think about that sort of thing right now. You know what kind of stress I'm under."

"And that's why I'm here to help you; you need someone to talk to right? I'll always be here."

"I'm meeting someone here; I need you to keep it secret okay, like all of our other talks. Do you promise?"

"I care for you Draco, and I know that it would never work between us, so I guess I'll have to keep quiet, just promise to visit every now and again."

"I will, being able to talk about everything helps, but I'm still under a lot of pressure."

Myrtle gave him a smile and disappeared into her stall; Draco leaned against the sinks, wondering what he'd tell Hermione when she got here. He didn't have long to think because Hermione came into the bathroom just a few moments later.

"Fancy seeing you here again so soon," Hermione joked.

Draco chuckled, "It feels good to smile for once, it's been a long time."

"I agree, I've spent most of this year so far pretty stressed out," she agreed as she stepped closer to him.

Before he knew what he was doing, he wrapped his arms around Hermione, pulling her in close. He felt her reach into his robes and wrap her arms around him. It felt good to hold her close to him; it already felt so natural to have her in his arms.

"So, I asked you to meet me here, because I remembered there was a Hogsmeade trip coming up this weekend, and I was wondering if you'd like to accompany me, we can do whatever you'd like," Draco asked as he started to rub Hermione's back.

"I think a trip out of this school would be amazing, you move fast, I only mentioned a real date earlier this afternoon."

"I'll admit it was pure luck that I ran into you at dinner, I'm glad I decided to write that note when I did. I was going to keep it on me until I could pass it to you, and that just happened to be the same night."

"Speaking of chance meetings, why did you want to meet here," she asked as she leaned back to look into Draco's eyes.

"Well, I thought about what I should do, and I kinda thought that grandstanding wouldn't make things easy, considering my reputation with you Gryffindors, especially with Potter and Weasley. I didn't want to cause any strife, so I figured I'd ask you here and we can discuss everything."

"Well I'm glad that you thought about consequences before just coming over to our table at dinner. I do want to get to know the sensitive side of you, the one I connected with earlier, but I know if people found out, the chances of us getting to know each other goes down. I know many of your followers don't like me, Pansy would be jealous I'm sure."

"I can deal with them, although I'm sure you could hold your own, I won't let them do anything to you."

"I'm glad you'd stand up for me, although, I doubt I'd have an easy time on my end, Harry won't accept this, no one in Gryffindor would," Hermione said as she looked down.

"Hey know, what did I tell you about smiling? If we are going to put in the effort, it will be worth it, the rest will come."

Hermione smiled and rested her head against Draco's chest, sighing. She wanted to believe him, but there was so much to consider, could anything between them actually work?

"What's on your mind? I heard that sigh."

"Do you really think it will work? Between us, with you being Draco, and me being Hermione?" Hermione whispered.

"I'm sure it won't be easy, but a lot has been going on with me this past year, I've realized a lot of things, about myself and about my family, and our so-called 'friends,' "Draco responded, resting his cheek on Hermione's hair. "I'm not the same kid that gave a horrible first impression our first year, the kid who gloated about the chamber of secrets our second year. And I'm definitely trying not to be the kid that you punched our third year."

Hermione laughed at that memory, hugging Draco even tighter. Draco laughed with her, enjoying the moment before he gently pulled back from their embrace, cupping Hermione's chin.

"I can't apologize enough for the prat I've been in the past, but I can promise I'm not that same person. When you walked in here earlier, you caught me in a very vulnerable moment. I was horrified that you were seeing me like that and on instinct I pulled my wand. But then I saw you were upset, and in that moment I realized that I didn't want to treat you with hostility, I didn't want to cause you any more grief or lie to you. In that moment, I realized I was tired of hiding from you, I was going to show you the true feelings I have for you, regardless of the consequences. Although I must say, with you here in my arms, I don't think it turned out too bad."

Hermione smiled in agreement, raising her hand to cover his, and turning to kiss his palm. She closed her eyes in bliss, happy to forget about everything for just a few more minutes. Draco looked down at her, seeing relaxation come over her features. He stroked her cheek with his thumb, leaning down and kissing her forehead. He pulled her close again, embracing her, afraid to let go of her and find out this has all been a dream.

"That reminds me, earlier you said that you wanted to tell me about your feelings before it was too late for you, what did you mean?"

Draco took a deep breath, thinking about how much to say, "I'll start by saying that I promised myself I wouldn't lie to you, but I'm not sure how to tell you about me right now. You know my family has been close with… The Dark Lord, and right now there is a lot of pressure on me now that Dad is in jail. But I don't want you to worry about that right now, I don't want to put you in any kind of danger. I'm hoping that just talking to you doesn't end badly, but in a way, you have a right to know. I was lying to myself when I hoped I could pretend none of the danger existed, but with me being a danger to your wellbeing, do you still want to continue getting to know me?"

Hermione paused, thinking about what he just said. Of course she had known about the Malfoy's history, and she had also been trying to lie to herself about Draco's family. But even with all of that, she knew she wouldn't fight her feelings for him anymore, she had seen danger before and she wasn't going to run now. Draco was willing to fight the odds and so was she, she was friends with Harry Potter after all; she gave Draco a reassuring squeeze.

"Did you want to meet at The Three Broomsticks at noon this weekend, or maybe somewhere else?" Hermione asked, showing Draco she was still willing to try. "That place might be a little crowded with students, we might not want to be seen together there."

Draco let out the breath he had been holding, relieved, "We can go anywhere you want, if you think you can handle being there, we can go, I won't let anything happen to you. But if you just want to walk around and talk that's fine with me."

"Walking around sounds good, we can meet up at The Three Broomsticks and go from there, if we walk around, we shouldn't be bothered as much."

Draco nodded his head, running his hands through her hair, moving it back from her ear. He softly kissed the top of her ear, running his lips downward and then gently nibbled on the lobe of her ear. He smiled when Hermione gave a small gasp and ran her hands down his shoulders. Continuing down the side of her neck, he kissed his way down to her collarbone, slowly pulling away to look at her face.

"You've given me goose bumps Draco," Hermione whispered as she looked into his eyes.

"I love hearing you say my name like that, your voice is mesmerizing," Draco told her, as he stared deep into her eyes, captivated.

Hermione, feeling bold, brought her arms up around Draco's neck, pulling him down for a kiss. As their lips met, she found his lower lip, and softly bit down on it. As she released his lip, she felt Draco's tongue brush across her top lip, she caressed his tongue with her own, pulling him closer. The kiss deepened, both of them exploring each other, not wanting to break apart. Hermione gently pulled on his lower lip and began sucking on it softly. Draco moaned and grasped her hips, pushing her up against a closed stall, his thumbs reaching just under her shirt rubbing her bare sides.

"Your skin is so soft, never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd be here, with you," Draco murmured as he rested his forehead against hers.

"You mean you don't sneak into girl's bathrooms often? Or at least not with girls like me?"

"Well if by girls like you, you mean brilliant, brave, and stunning then of course not. But I also haven't made a habit of sneaking into girl's bathrooms either. It's not like there are a lot of girls in here I'm spying on, you have nothing to worry about."

"Do you mean that?" Hermione wondered, resting her hands on his chest.

"There are so many words that come to mind when I think of you, all these years I've been looking at you from far away, wanting to be by your side, wanting to be the one to make you smile, hold your hand, be your shoulder to cry on. But I was afraid, although now I've finally got my chance to show you how I feel. So every day, I'll find words to describe my feelings and thoughts of you; you are beautiful, and of course you're brilliant, everyone here knows that. And you are compassionate; anyone else wouldn't have given me a chance to explain myself."

Draco stared into Hermione's eyes, saw how his words affected her, saw the tears welling up in her eyes; he brushed his lips against her forehead once more before pulling her into his chest.

"I told you, I'm here for you now, all the way. All those words are true and heartfelt; I'll never lie to you and I'll never miss another moment to cherish the beautiful person you are."

"I believe you, I truly do. This is just all so new to me, it still feels unreal. We'll see how real it feels on our date. See you at breakfast?" Hermione asked.

"Well of course, I never miss breakfast, never miss a chance to see you."

Hermione smiled into his chest, breathing in his scent, "We really need to go, but I don't want to let go."

"I know Hermione, but there is plenty of time for us to get close. Now isn't the time for us to get into trouble and get privileges revoked," he reminded her. He grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the stall. Hermione leaned on his arm as they took the few steps towards the door, she had never felt this way with Viktor.

As Draco opened the door for her, she reluctantly let go off his hand and stepped out into the hall. She turned and smiled, blowing him a kiss before making her way to Gryffindor tower. Draco felt his heart melt when she blew him a kiss, this felt better than he could have imagined. As he left the bathroom with a smile on his face, he realized he was going to have to get a grip on his emotions before walking into the common room; he didn't need Crabbe and Goyle questioning him right now.


	3. Can't Wait

*The Next Day*

Hermione woke up early, deciding she'd get a little bit of her homework out of the way so she'd have plenty of time this weekend. She couldn't seem to calm down and she still had three days until the Hogsmeade trip; classes were going to be a nightmare. Hermione forced herself to focus on the Ancient Runes homework in front of her, it wasn't due for a few days but it was always better to get it done ahead of time than last minute. Before she knew it some of the other students came stumbling down into the common room, so Hermione packed up her work and waited for her friends to appear. It wasn't long before she heard Ron's loud grumbling and Harry's muted response; they definitely weren't morning people.

"Come on you two, let's go get breakfast, we've got a full day of classes."

"Oh Sweetheart, wait for me!" Lavendar called out as she came running down the stairs.

Hermione groaned inwardly, she really didn't want to have to listen to those two lovebirds during breakfast, Harry's face mirroring her feelings.

"Wait for me, I'll head down with you guys too," Ginny chipped in, looking at Harry.

Harry smiled with relief and Hermione's brow furrowed harder at the added companions. She loved Ginny, she was like the sister she never had, but when Harry was around her, Hermione felt pretty invisible. Good thing she had books in her bag with her, that would keep her from feeling too lonely; it's not like she could just go sit at the Slytherin table with Draco.

"Come along, the morning mail will be coming soon," Hermione called over her shoulder and she headed out through the portrait. As their group came in the Dining Hall, she quickly glanced along the Slytherin table to see if Draco was here yet; she wasn't disappointed. He sat at his usual spot along the table, Hermione chose to sit facing them, just in case she got a chance to catch his eye. She was grateful that Harry and Ginny took up the seats next to her, until she realized that meant she'd be facing Ron and Lavender, it was going to be a long breakfast.

Just then a storm of flapping wings came flying into the Hall, Hermione looked up out of habit, she wasn't expecting anything. To her surprise though one of the school owls swooped down and landed in front of her, holding his leg out. Hermione quickly detached the parchment and gave the owl some of her bacon as thanks.

"What did you get Hermione?" Harry asked when the owl took off.

"I'm not sure, I wasn't expecting anything," she replied, wondering if it was from Draco. She shyly opened it, trying not to look like she didn't want Harry to read it. Luckily he was busy piling food on his plate to look directly at her, he expected her to fill him in regardless. Quickly unfolding the note, she saw Draco's familiar handwriting, smile forming on her face.

_Hermione,  
Just wanted to remind you that you are beautiful  
DM_

Hermione couldn't help but blush as she looked over at Draco. He gave her a quick smile before turning back to listen to his classmates. Hermione cleared her throat and stuffed the note in her pocket, telling Harry it was a note from McGonagall asking her to stay after Transfiguration class.

"Hm, wonder what she wants, you aren't in trouble are you?"

"Of course not, I'm sure she just wants to ask me something about one of our assignments," Hermione offered, quickly trying to come up with a reason to stay behind in class today. Maybe she'd ask the professor about the next spell they were going to learn, maybe get a bit of a head start. The rest of breakfast went by uneventfully at the Gryffindor table, Hermione blatantly reading her book and ignoring the lovey-dovey people around her.

At the Slytherin table, Draco was pretending to listen to his classmates while internally scolding himself. Why had he sent her that message? It was totally unlike him to be so, so cute. He didn't regret sending it, he could tell it really made her feel good, he just couldn't understand what possessed him to send it. It was an impulse that made him take it up to the owlery before breakfast, was he going to turn into a sap now? Did she expect him to start acting that way all the time? He started to panic, unsure of what course of action he should take. Thinking about what he knew about the Gryffindor bookworm, he realized she wasn't like the other girls, she didn't primp and preen; she cared about her studies first. So maybe a few notes here and there would really make her feel girly and important, something he knew her two idiot friends never did; he was sure they were totally ignorant of the fact she was a young woman. He had seen her yell at Weasel and run away with tears in her eyes plenty of times to know that the redhead was pretty stupid when it came to his friend.

He decided he didn't want to be like Weasley, she would know she was appreciated. He was man enough to be okay with sending her notes now and then, being sappy wasn't too hard. Especially when thinking about Hermione made him forget about all the stress in his life, he began to wonder what their trip to Hogsmeade would be like. Would they be serious and nervous? Or maybe carefree, already knowing how they feel about each other would make it less awkward. Would she be expecting him to say anything sappy? No, he decided, he would just be himself and say what came to mind, that worked for him so far. She said she liked seeing this side of him but she had to appreciate his sharp wit, at least when it isn't being pointed at her. He sighed, still lost in thought when he got up from the table to head to class.

The day passed by quickly enough, classes keeping everyone busy until lunch. Hermione was too preoccupied with homework to have lunch, she was in the library, all of her books spread out in front of her, brow furrowed. Draco knew he'd find her in the library, it was her favorite place; she even had a favorite seat, right along the windows. The sun was shining on her honey brown curls, her quill was scratching furiously on the parchment in front of her. He carefully walked closer, choosing to set at the desk next to her, across from her so he could sneak glances at her. They both had a free period after lunch so Draco had no doubt she'd be in here until Arithmacy, he wondered what homework she was working on that had her concentrating so hard. He quietly pulled out his Potions book and parchment and settled in to write his latest essay.

The hour passed in comfortable silence and Draco was the first to notice that it was almost time for class. He packed his bag and looked over at Hermione, seeing that she was absorbed in her work.

"Granger, you aren't planning on skipping Arithmacy are you?"

Hermione started at his voice, looking up and realized he was standing next to her.

"Oh my goodness, I got so lost in my work, thank you for reminding me, Draco," Hermione gushed, quickly packing up her things and standing. Draco held out his arm, indicating she should pass. As Hermione walked passed him, Draco fell in step next to her; Hermione looked up at him with a questioning gaze. Noticing her gaze, Draco smiled down at her, staying by her side.

"Are you against me walking you to class?" he questioned.

Hermione blushed and shook her head, amazed he was being so open. They may not be holding hands but they were walking to class together and not bickering; she wondered if he'd make any snide comments if his friends were to spot them. But she didn't have to worry about that, they made it to the class without any incident and took their seats. Hermione had a hard time focusing on what the professor was saying, but she was well ahead already.

Draco and Hermione didn't interact for the rest of the day, but neither of them were concerned, they didn't want to draw too much attention to themselves just yet. Each of them still had their own problems to try and work out as well. By the time classes were over and it was time for dinner, Hermione was starving, having skipped lunch earlier. She started piling food on her plate, noticing Ginny plopping down next to her.

"Hey Gin, how was your day?"

"Aggravating, I wasn't able to do the Transfiguration lesson today, I just couldn't focus I guess," Ginny told her.

"That happens sometimes, what's on your mind?"

"It's Harry, he's obsessing with Malfoy and swears he's up to something, he's so distracted and I don't know what to do about it," Ginny sighed.

"Yea, Harry has been rather focused on him hasn't he?" Hermione agreed, thoughts straying to when she had found him in the bathroom. He was stressed out and worried about something, was Harry onto something. She'd been trying to talk Harry out of his suspicious all year, now she desperately hoped Harry wasn't on to something. She glanced over at the Slytherin table, noticing how Draco seemed subdued and quiet. He wasn't talking with anyone at the table and was picking at his food, Hermione's heart hurt, wondering what he was stressed out about. When she had brought it up in the bathroom he wasn't ready to tell her just yet, she hoped he figure out whatever it was before it was too late.

"See if he wants to go to Hogsmeade this weekend with you, it might do him good to get out of the castle," Hermione offered.

Ginny brightened at the idea, "I totally forgot about the trip coming up, I was too focused on classes, you're the best Mione, thanks I'll ask him as soon as he comes in."

A few moments later, Harry came in with Ron and Lavender looking like a third wheel. Lavender had her arm around Ron's waist and was twirling his hair with her other hand. Harry's face broke out in a smile when Ginny waved him over to the table, sitting next to her with a smile.

"Hey Ginny, Hermione, how are my two favorite gals?"

Hermione smiled in response, listening as Ginny went into detail about her day before casually reminding Harry about the upcoming weekend. She saw his eyes brighten at the thought of going with Ginny, Hermione smiled, glad that those two were finally coming together. She had spent a lot of holidays talking with Ginny about Harry and ways to get him to notice her, but the best way was to always be yourself. They had a lot in common so the chances were good that harry would open his eyes sooner or later. Hermione found herself thinking about Ron, how she felt towards him recently. She didn't understand why she felt so strongly towards him, he was always being insensitive and ignorant of her emotions. But yet she cared for him and all that got her was more pain, there he was further down the table, intertwined with Lav Lav like always. All of a sudden a smile snuck up on her, she remembered the note she received this morning from Draco; when did he decide to be thoughtful, he had no way of knowing how a small gesture could mean so much to her could he? Once more she sought him out, biting her lip nervously. This time he was looking at her, almost as if he'd been studying her. She smiled over at him, unable to contain the happiness she felt at the few memories they've made.

Draco couldn't concentrate on dinner, he was wondering what he would do about his mission. He had tried unsuccessfully to forget about it, but he knew he couldn't afford to fail, his family was depending on him. He looked up towards the Gryffindor table, hoping to find the girl that made him smile; she was looking down at her plate, absentmindedly eating her food. He'd give anything to figure out what she was thinking, to be next to her and help her solve puzzles; he wanted to walk her to all of her classes, shower her with gifts. What surprised him was he knew he wasn't able to buy her affections, and he didn't want to. He wanted to give her gifts because she deserved them, not because she needed to know he was rich. She was the first girl that gave him that notion, that he could give her a gift and she wouldn't love it based on how much it might have cost, he couldn't stop the smile forming on his lips. Just then she chose to look over at him and smile, blushing just slightly. Her smile made his heart flutter, he had always loved to see her smiling, but knowing that she was smiling at him made him even happier. God he couldn't wait until the weekend


	4. Hogsmeade

*Saturday Morning*

Hermione woke up early that morning, unsure of what she should wear or what she might do with her hair. She fretted over her clothes for awhile, really unsure what she should wear. It was a date, a real date, but she didn't want to be too dressy or seem overly eager. Over the past few days she had received more notes from Draco, each one short but sweet, making her smile. She put all the notes in her bedside table so they'd always be close at hand, she wondered what today was going to be like. The plan was to just walk around for a bit and maybe hang out at The Three Broomsticks. Hermione gave a frustrated sigh and threw herself down on her bed.

"What's got your knickers in a twist Mione?" a voice asked her.

"Oh Ginny, can you help me? You're my friend right?"

"Last I checked why, what do you need help with?"

"Well, I've kinda got a secret date today, we're going to be meeting in Hogsmeade. I don't know what to wear or what to do with my hair. I really don't want to be too flashy, but I don't want to be too casual either. Help?" Hermione pleaded.

"Oh a date, and it's a secret? Does anyone know about it?" Ginny asked eagerly, starting to look through her friend's clothes, holding up a shirt.

"Well no, I haven't told anyone that I'm even going to Hogsmeade today, so far it's only you. Well, and my date of course. But it's a secret Ginny, please don't tell Harry I'll be there, I want you two to have time together."

"Thanks for that Mione, and I won't tell him. But can I know who it is you are going to see?" Ginny asked, eyebrows raised.

"I've wanted to tell someone, but I don't want you to get mad," Hermione said quietly.

Ginny was quiet for a moment, tossing Hermione a rose colored long sleeved shirt, adorned with a flower over her hip. She also found a pair of tight low-rise jeans that she knew fit Hermione very well and tossed that over to her too.

"There I think those will be nice, pinks look good on you and the jeans are fitting but overall casual. So you won't look too eager but like you are making an effort. I'll not bother you, for now, on who you are meeting, but I do want details when we get back tonight!" Ginny told her, pointing a finger.

"Okay deal, I'm sure I'll be dying to tell someone how it went, and you went through all this trouble to help me. Can you help me with my hair?" Hermione asked hopefully.

Ginny nodded her head, glad to help her friend out, "I'm always willing to help you with your hair, I know you love the curls but you can definitely lose the frizz, I'll be right back, get dressed."

Hermione smirked at her friend's comment. Her frizzy curls were the topic of many conversations between her and the female Weasleys, as well as her mom. She pulled the curtains around her bed and quickly got dressed, appraising Ginny's choices. As she opened the curtains from around her bed and smoothed her blouse over her stomach Ginny came back in, a tube of something in her hand.

"Anti-frizz cream, works wonders."

"Ginny why do you have that, your hair isn't remotely frizzy?" Hermione responded.

"Exactly! My hair might not frizz as much as yours is capable of but it does frizz enough to aggravate me. This will smooth your hair but leave all your curls in place, you'll look wonderful."

"Well I'll give it a shot, I don't want to go out with hair like this." Hermione gave in, sitting on the bed.

Ginny came up behind and started spreading the cream in Hermione's hair, gently working it in with her fingers all the way down to her tips. Then she grabbed Hermione's brush and started running that through her hair to smooth her hair even more.

"OK, all done, let's go look at you in the bathroom, you're going to love it," Ginny promise, leading her friend to a mirror.

Hermione held her breath as she came up to the mirror, unsure of what to expect. Her mind quickly plashed back to the Yule Ball and how much effort it had taken to tame her curls, this seemed way easier. She heard herself gasp as she looked at her reflection; her hair was all smooth curls with no frizz. Carefully raising her hands, she ran her fingers through her hair, amazed at the lack of snags she felt.

"Oh Ginny, this is amazing, all it took was that cream? Why couldn't we have had that for the Yule Ball? And this will be okay out in the weather?"

"Yea, I use it a lot, cold or humid weather is fine, although it's anyone's game if it starts to pour. But the weather is nice out today, don't worry about it. This is how your curls should look, clumping together just right, smooth and shiny. Do you want me to pick some of this stuff up for you?" Ginny asked, holding up the tube of Miss Mari's Miracle Mane Moisturizer.

"Please, that would be wonderful. I might not use it all the time, but definitely for special occasions. How much did you use?"

"A dollop, although you can always add more, so it's best to start with a little at a time until you get used to it, don't want your hair to start looking like Snape's," Ginny sniggered.

Hermione gave Ginny a hug, "Oh you're the best Ginny, thanks for everything. Should I at least change? I don't want to spoil the date and I still have to go eat breakfast.

Ginny nodded her head and told her friend to wear one of her knit caps to help hide her hair for now. As Ginny waited for her friend to reappear, she wondered just who Hermione was going to meet. As Hermione came back downstairs, Ginny assured her she looked about normal and the two girls made their way down to the Dining Hall. Harry was already there, eating toast and reading The Daily Prophet, Hermione was surprised he was awake.

"Awake already Harry, that's a shock," Hermione said as she sat next to him.

"I actually slept pretty good last night and woke up refreshed. First night in a long time so I decided I'd come down and get an early breakfast; then it's off to Hogsmeade, right Ginny?"

Ginny nodded her head enthusiastically as she started eating. Hermione was glad that for once, Harry hadn't thought to include her. Sometimes his (and Ron's) blatant disregard for her girlish feelings paid off, although mostly it just caused strife. Hermione's stomach was fluttering, she purposefully kept her gaze on her friends and her meal. If she were to sneak a glance at the Slytherin table, she'd never stop blushing and Harry was bound to notice that. Once the three of them were through with breakfast, Hermione and Ginny ran upstairs to change before they made their way out onto the front lawn and towards the gates. Hermione had asked if she could accompany them on the way into the village, but that she was only going to pick up a few things so they needn't wait on her. Ginny snuck her friend a smile, knowing full well she was going to be there most of the day. Sadly Harry was still completely oblivious to Hermione's change of outfit.

As the trio came up to Hogsmeade, Hermione excused herself as her friends immediately went to the Spintwitches Quidditch Supply store; she slowly wandered the streets, not wanting to get to the pub too early. It was still a bit before noon when Hermione couldn't wait anymore and made her way over. She could feel the butterflies in her stomach as she came up to the door, trying to casually lean against the wall. Taking a few deep breaths, Hermione tried to prevent herself from touching her hair, not wanting to mess it up.

Draco looked at his watch, it was only 11:30 but he couldn't wait any longer, he headed to the pub to meet with Hermione. As soon as he rounded the corner, he saw Hermione leaning up against the wall, the sight of her took his breath away. He had grown so accustomed to seeing her in her school robes he had no idea how much she had grown up. When had Hermione become so curvy? He really shouldn't have been too surprised, it was just at the beginning of the week that he had pressed her up against Myrtle's bathroom door. But to really see her curves in such a Muggle outfit, he suddenly wanted to kiss her senseless, and her hair looked so soft and tame. He casually made his way over to her, lightly clearing his throat not wanting to startle her. As she looked up and saw that it was him, a bright smile claimed her face.

Hermione took in the sight of Draco, he looked impeccable as always, wearing black slacks and a forest green turtle neck. She noticed that he had been forgoing the gel in his hair lately, she really like the tousled look better on him. Unable to contain herself, she ran up to Draco and wrapped her arms around him, catching him by surprise.

"Hello Hermione, early as usually I see," Draco teased and he wrapped his arms around her. He couldn't recall the last time he was welcomed so warmly. Sure Pansy was always trying to cling to him but never like this; it wasn't as genuine, more proof that Pansy was just after his name.

"I came with Harry and Ginny and I just couldn't wait any longer, but you're early too!" Hermione reminded him.

Draco chuckled in agreement, it would seem as though both of them had been waiting for today for a long time. He pulled away from the hug, looking into her eyes and running his fingers through her curls, "You look absolutely stunning Hermione," Draco whispered.

Hermione blushed, "It's only a top and some jeans, you really think so?"

"I do, I'm sure you'd look absolutely stunning in anything you'd choose to wear, but when I first saw you here, leaning up against the wall, you took my breath away. It's refreshing to see you in something other than your school robes," Draco assured her. He took her hand and led her away from the pub, "Come on, let's get to know each other."

Hermione felt like her cheeks were going to break if she smiled any bigger but she couldn't stop. She let him pulled her along, hand in hand as they wandered the shops. Neither of them had a destination in mind, casual conversation filling the air.

"So, was it hard for you to focus on schoolwork? I was totally distracted, I couldn't wait for today," Hermione admitted.

"Yea, I was pretty distracted myself, it was a nice change to the stress I've been feeling though. I still kinda feel like this is a dream or something, as sappy as that sounds," Draco answered, blushing slightly at his admission.

"I've felt the same all week. I kept reading the notes you sent me to make sure I hadn't imagined it. Thank you for that, it really meant a lot to me," Hermione whispered.

"I'll admit, it surprised me that I wrote the first one, but I really want you to feel appreciated, and I don't regret sending it to you. I've just never done anything like that before, you really bring out a different side in me."

"Is that a bad thing?" Hermione wondered.

"I don't think it is, do you? Ever since that first meeting we had, I've really wanted to change myself," Draco started, pulling her down to sit on a bench. "Since I was a kid, I could recite my lineage back 6 generations on both my mother's and father's side and I had to know the names of all the other Pureblood families. It was ingrained in me that Pureblood lineage was what mattered, not looks, not love, only family lineage. I heard a lot of derogatory terms from my parents growing up, and of course all of their friends, it was normal for me."

"So, what changed?"

"I met the Dark Lord," Draco admitted, looking down at his hands.

"When? What happened?"

"It wasn't until fifth year, during the Christmas holidays," Draco started to explain in a quiet voice. "It was a brief meeting really, he came to the Manor to speak to my father. I had heard that he had come back at the end of our 4th year, and I tried to play it off. But I knew; my father spoke about it with my mother and I, about how the coming years were going to be very important. But I wasn't prepared to meet him, the way he spoke, looked at me, like I was nothing. Father introduced me, saying I was his heir, second in my class. Just that short meeting made me realize what kind of person he was. I sat outside the door listening to them talk. I know now just what it was he wanted my father to do, but then I was confused. All that I knew was how he treated my father, the man I looked up to, like he was a speck of dirt. My father, a Pureblood, being treated as a pawn; I couldn't stand it, my father was stronger than that. But he just took it, being ordered around, by someone who was killed by a baby nonetheless. Well I guess he wasn't truly killed because he came back but everyone thought he was dead for years."

"That must have been awful Draco," she sympathized.

"It was hard, especially since afterward my father went to Azkaban for doing his bidding. Completely ridiculous, my mother has been beside herself. That was when I started to realize that blood purity didn't stop you from going to Azkaban, money can only do so much for you. But really, when you go against the rules, there will be consequences, and killing people, th-that's the darkest thing you can do," he stammered.

"Come on, let's go to Honeydukes you like candy right? Let's brighten this date," Hermione urged him, pulling him up from the bench.

"Sounds like a good idea, who would turn away Honeydukes?" Draco agreed, putting his arm over her shoulder and pulling her closer. He couldn't believe he had told her about his experience meeting the Dark Lord, she knew about his family's ties, but would this scare her away?

The pair made their way into Honeydukes, glad that the store was busy as usual, hopefully they'd be able to blend in better. Draco followed Hermione as she browsed, curious at what she liked from here. He noticed she picked up some Toothflossing Stringmints and he vaguely remembered something about her parents being some sort of Muggle teeth healers. She also picked up some Sugar Quills and Chocolate Frogs, turning towards Draco with a raised brow.

"Are you just going to see what I pick out?" she teased.

"Oh I'm just learning more about you, the kind of sweets you like says a lot about you I think."

"Oh, then I'm eager to see what you might buy here," Hermione giggled, waiting.

Draco smirked and took the lead around the store. He usually got fudge from his mother on the holidays but the treacle fudge here was delicious so he picked some up, along with Shoc-o-Chocs, Ice Mice, and Glacial Snowflakes. Hermione raised her eyes at the Shoc-o-Choc wondering if that was really for him.

"I got a taste for them after we of the Inquisitorial Squad received them with the Howlers, not that you would know anything about that right?"

"Oh God, that group, total teacher's pets! Spoiling everyone's fun, getting everyone in trouble, you were unbearable last year," Hermione chuckled.

Despite the truth in her statement, Draco could see that she was relaxed and joking, so he smiled as well, glad that she could make light of those times.

"I'll let you try some of my Shoc-O-Chocs if you let me have some of your Frogs? Fair trade?"

"I don't know, I've never had those, and what if I don't like them, seems like a gamble to me," she responded, heading up to the front to pay.

"Ok, if you don't like them, I'll share my fudge with you," Draco amended. He had thought about paying for her, but he could tell by the way she purposefully pulled out her coin purse, she wasn't going to let him offer. After he paid for his goodies, they made their way back outside and put their goodies in their pockets.

"Where to next, we still have a few hours here, was there anything you wanted to see?" Hermione asked.

"Well I won't drag you to the Quidditch shop, I stopped by there earlier since I know you don't fly, so why not go to Tomes and Scrolls?"

"Really, you'd go with me to Tomes and Scrolls? I can spend forever in there you know, are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure, I like to read too, although nowhere near as much as you I'm sure. Maybe you'll let me buy you something?" Draco offered sincerely.

Hermione blushed and nodded shyly before pulling him towards the bookstore. Draco laughed at her enthusiasm and followed her into the store. They browsed the store for a while, each picking out a few books they'd enjoy, Draco taking one of the books from her pile to pay for. He wrapped his arm around her again as they shrunk their new purchases to fit in their pockets, lightly kissing her forehead.

"You ready to head to The Three Broomsticks? I'm about ready for a Butterbeer, how about you?" Draco proposed.

Hermione nodded enthusiastically leaning into his side, attracted to his warmth. She hadn't been this happy all year, especially not since Ron and Lavender started dated. The pub was as crowded as usual and Hermione motioned that she'd go find a spot for them and Draco went to buy some drinks. She found a small table near the middle of the pub, waving to a few fellow Gryffindors and even some Ravenclaws. It was warm inside and Hermione was glad she hadn't brought a coat, she disliked leaving her coat over chairs; she always felt like she was going to leave them behind.

"Here you go Miss Granger, a Butterbeer for you," Draco smiled as he placed her drink in front of her and sat next to her, casually draping his arm over her chair. Hermione smiled at him, glad that he wasn't shy about being seen with her; it was only their first date and neither of them knew what their classmates would say. The first few minutes went by quietly, the two of them sharing small talk before they noticed a few people staring. Draco was doing his best to keep her engaged so she would feel self conscious about it but the mood was shattered quite suddenly.

"MALFOY, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?"


	5. Secrets

Hermione's head turned sharply to see Ron stomping over to their table; she grumbled knowing this was going to get ugly. She felt Draco squeeze her shoulder in reassurance, his face a mask of cool indifference as he looked over at the redhead.

"Well Weasley, good afternoon," he started off, attempting to keep things amicable.

"Get your hands off of her, NOW!"

"Would you like to join us in some civilized conversation? As it is you are being quite loud and disturbing the other patrons."

"No I would not like to sit with you, and neither would Hermione, so get your filthy hands off of her and we'll be on our way," Ron growled.

Draco turned towards Hermione, letting her decide how to continue, Weasley was her friend after all. She squeezed his knee in thanks, understanding that he was really attempting to be civil.

"Ron, you are making quite the scene, would you please lower your voice! I'm not being held here against my will and in fact it is YOU who needs to be leaving," Hermione told him fiercely.

Ron looked flabbergasted for a moment before his face began to turn a dangerous shade of red, "Hermione, you cannot stay here with, with Malfoy, this is insane! I won't stand for it!"

"Well then you can sit because I'm not going anywhere. Draco treated me to a drink and we were having quite a nice time before you rudely interrupted us. So please leave us alone. Hello Lavender, how are you?" Hermione asked over Ron's shoulder, hoping to defuse the situation with her help. Lavender just looked from Ron to Hermione to Draco and back again, unsure what to think of the whole thing. After a moment she tried pulling on Ron's arm to persuade him to leave but Ron just yanked his arm out of her hands.

"Hermione, you're coming back to the castle with me and Lavender right now and we're going to tell Harry that Malfoy here bewitched you or something and we'll fix you up. Alright, now come on."

RONALD WEASLEY! I am a grown witch! I can be wherever I want with whomever I want and it will be none of your concern! Have you not even read any of our course books from our Defense classes? Don't you remember how to look for signs of bewitchment? Of course you don't! Since you refuse to leave, then we will. Have a nice day and don't you dare follow us Ronald or so help me I'll hex you into next week." Hermione scolded him, nearly yelling. Standing up, she grabbed Draco's hand and pulled him towards the front door. Draco offered a small wave to Madam Rosmerta as an apology as they walked by the bar. He threw his arm around Hermione as they stormed away from the bar, trying to slow her down.

"Come on it's okay. It's just Weasley, he really seems to know how to piss you off. Come on Princess, don't let him ruin your day," he coaxed, kissing her forehead. "Let's head back to Hogwarts, we can walk around the Quidditch pitch, no one will look for you there right?"

"Yea, you're probably right, although I'm sure the news will be throughout the entire school by dinner, sorry," Hermione said tearfully.

"Hey, hey hey, no crying, remember what I told you. You have to smile, it's much more becoming. Please don't cry," Draco soothed, pulling her into a hug and rubbing her back. "And besides rumors are always going to be spreading at school, what do you want to do about it, I'm prepared for the stares and questions if you are. If not, we can come up with something, I don't mind if we keep things quiet, whatever you want to do Princess."

"Oh I'm sorry, I'm crying over something so stupid, here you are with bigger problems and you're trying to cheer me up over Ron," Hermione whimpered.

"Well Ron is a git, it's no surprise he's upset you. You've only known him for how many years?"

"Six," she mumbled.

"And how many years has she said something to upset you?"

"Six," she confirmed.

"See, he's a git. So don't feel bad, come on," Draco assured her, kissing the top of her head.

"Yea, I don't want him to ruin today, it's been really good so far."

"That's the spirit"

Hermione sniffled and pulled away from Draco to wipe her eyes; she smiled up at him and held out her hand, waiting for him to take it. He smiled down at her and grabbed her hand, the pair making their way back toward the castle. Unbeknownst to them, there was someone watching the exchange that just happened.

They walked in comfortable silence all the way to the Quidditch pitch, Hermione leaning into Draco's shoulder for support. Dinner was in a few hours so they had some stuff to talk about but neither of them was sure how to start the conversation. Hermione gave a sigh and decided to start.

"Thanks for a really nice day, I really appreciate you going with me to the bookstore, and not making a scene with Ron, even though he wasn't making it easy."

"I had a great time today too, it's really easy to talk with you, it's nice to have someone to talk to about things," Draco told her, leading her into the stands. As they sat he pulled out his bag of Shoc-o-Chocs and offered her one. Hermione reached gingerly into the bag and pulled out a candy.

"I'm sorry for overreacting, I've been upset over Ron's actions for a long time now and I-Ow," Hermione squeaked as her hands shot up to her mouth. Draco couldn't help but laugh at the surprised look on her face.

"Good huh?" he chuckled, popping one of the candies into his mouth.

"That surprised me, I know it's called a Shoc-o-Choc but it's still a bit surprising when you feel the shock. Although I think I can get used to it," she told him with a smile. He put his arm around her waist and got comfortable, waiting for her to continue the conversation. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her Honeydukes bag and enlarged it, pulling out a chocolate frog and handing it to Draco.

"A deal is a deal, here's your froggie."

Draco thanked her and opened the package, popping the Frog in his mouth, smiling.

Hermione sighed, "I can't believe I've let Ron get to me after all these years, I mean, after what happened at the Yule Ball, you'd think I'd realize that Ron is just a dunderhead when it comes to girls. It's just hard because I think all of Ron's family believes we'll eventually get together and get married and have children, and I just can't see it. I mean, we do nothing but argue all the time. We're more like brother and sister with the way we argue.

"Although I guess part of the reason we argue is because I've been waiting for him to see me as a girl and he just refuses to. I suppose I'm just sensitive when it comes to him, I love him and Harry like brothers, but it's only Ron that upsets me all the time."

"I'll admit Hermione, I never understood why you became friends with Weasley in the first place, he's quite your opposite, lazy, not exactly smart or studious, a loud mouth, and he has a horrible temper. Personally I'd be quite happy if you don't end up with him, and that has nothing to do with my own personal interests," he whispered in her ear with a smile.

"I'm sure it doesn't Draco," she replied, nudging him. "But I still don't think it's very fair of me to go spouting off about Ron when we're on our date, it's just been on my mind a lot."

"Well remember, I told you I'm here for you now right? That's all inclusive, whether it's for talking, or kissing, or just to hang out. I've observed you three for awhile, I know your relationship is complicated so of course you have mixed feelings about it all. Although this really doesn't change my opinion of him, I think he's a hopeless idiot. Mostly because he let you slip through his fingers, and I don't want to let you go any time soon Hermione. That's why I'm going to continue to write you little notes and buy you sweet gifts and tell you how beautiful you are. I've had enough darkness in my life, so I cherish the few things that can make me happy."

"Draco, you make me feel so special, you've treated me better than any other guy that's taken me on a date, which admittedly hasn't been a lot. I was so nervous at first but that went away really fast. I just feel like I connect with you so easily, I mean even when we were nasty to each other, I knew I could depend on you to say something interestingly snide. It was never boring, that's for sure," Hermione confided.

"What I said earlier, about the Dark Lord, does that scare you?"

"It scares me for you, but I'm not scared of you. I'm worried about what that means for you, for your family. Especially now that your dad is in jail, it's just you and your mom right now. I can't imagine what it's like for you in your house."

"So you aren't afraid to be seen with me suddenly because of it, because I kinda have a bigger secret," Draco broke down.

Hermione put her arms around him, wondering what had him so upset, "Calm down, it will be okay."

"Now it won't, you don't understand what it's like. I'm head of the family now, I'm the one with the responsibilities according to him. I'm 16, I may have been raised to take over my family name, but not this early," Draco sobbed, letting go of his emotions, dropping his head into her lap. "He's given me a mission, one that I **_have_** to do. If I don't he'll kill me, I don't want to die."

"What does he want you to do?" she asked him quietly, running her hands through his hair.

"Kill Dumbledore," Draco whispered into her lap.

Hermione gasped, Voldemort couldn't possibly expect a 16 year old boy to kill Dumbledore, that was insane.

"He can't really expect you to succeed can he? I mean, it's Dumbledore, your headmaster, one of the greatest wizards alive. You're only 16, he can't really expect you to kill someone can he?"

"My mom thinks he is expecting me to fail, so he can kill me and show everyone how the Malfoys fell from grace. But I can't fail Hermione, I don't want my mom to be left all alone."

"Draco, we have to go to the Headmaster, he'll tell you what to do," she assured him.

"I can't tell him that I'm supposed to kill him, he'll kick me out of the school," Draco cried out, sitting up to look her in the eyes.

Hermione put her hands on his cheeks, "Draco, he is a very understanding wizard, he knows so much about the war and Voldemort. He'll understand your predicament. Please, for me. I'll go with you, you don't have to do it alone anymore. You said you want to change, that you don't believe in what Voldemort says, here is your chance. Please take it," Hermione pleaded with him, standing up and taking his hand in hers.

Draco looked up at her, tears running down her face, just like him. It took him back to the first time they met in the bathroom. He remember how his heart tore seeing her cry, remembered how he felt like he was losing his mind trying to come up with a way to kill the old wizard. Hermione was right, he couldn't pass up this chance, he had to stand up for what he believed in, stand up for what was right. He stood up, squeezing her hand, pulling her towards the castle before he could lose his nerve. The two of them ran into the Great Hall, looking for a teacher, hoping to catch someone before dinner.

"Quick McGonagall is almost always in her classroom, this way," Hermione called as she pulled him down the hall.

They turned the corner and almost ran right into the person they were looking for.

"Miss Granger, Mr. Malfoy, why are you running in the castle?"

"Please Professor, is the Headmaster available, we have to see him right now! Please."

McGonagall was about to tell them to wait until after dinner but she noticed how desperate they both looked, their hands clasped together.

"Alright you two, follow me, and no running," McGonagall reminded them, turning on her heel and leading them to the gargoyle statue.

"Fizzing Whizzbees."

As the gargoyle sprang to life and revealed the staircase, McGonagall ushered them in before turning and heading back the way they came. As the pair came closer to the top of the staircase, they squeezed each others' hands, trying to comfort each other. Hermione knocked on the door, waiting to be admitted.

"Please come in," a voice called out.


	6. The Plan Unfolds

With one last look in Draco's eyes, Hermione pushed the door open and they stepped over the threshold. Dumbledore was seated at his desk, looking at the two with a bemused look in his eyes.

"How can I help you two?" he asked with a quick glance towards their clasps hands.

Draco was relieved when she didn't let go, instead she took a few steps closer to Dumbledore, "Draco is in trouble, you have to help him, please."

"What trouble are you in Mr. Malfoy?"

"The Dark Lord gave me a mission this year, in place of my father who is in Azkaban right now."

"I see, please continue," the headmaster prompted.

"He, he wants me to k-kill you sir," Draco whispered once again. "I'm the one responsible for hurting Katie and Ron, I didn't know what else to do."

Hermione looked over at him, surprised at the admission, Harry had been right? She bit her lip, wondering what had been going on in Draco's head when he tried those things.

"I really didn't mean to hurt anyone, I didn't know what else to do, I was trying to get the two Vanishing Cabinets to work again, so I can get Death Eaters into the school and then I'm supposed to kill you. But I couldn't get the Cabinets to work, the birds I was sending through kept dying. So I tried to get a student to give you the cursed necklace, but no one was supposed to touch it, I don't know how that happened. And, I-I gave Professor Slughorn the poisoned mead, but he obviously didn't give it to you like I thought he would have. So instead I nearly killed Hermione's friend, somehow Harry managed to save him. It's all falling apart; I don't know what to do. Please help me," Draco asked tearfully, at his wit's end.

"Draco, I'm glad you decided to come to me with this, although I regret to inform you that you must continue with your plan to kill me, that is the way it has to be."

"WHAT? Professor, you can't mean that, you can't expect Draco to kill you," Hermione cried out in disbelief.

"I'm sorry Hermione, but the plans have already been laid for this. If I'm to let you both in on it, I will need to perform a Fidelius Charm, no one can know about what has already been put into plan. Can you both keep this a secret, from everyone else, even those whom you love?"

Hermione and Draco looked at each other confused, why was he being so calm about this? He already had a plan? Why was it a secret?

"Professor, if we promise to keep it a secret, what will happen?"

"I'll tell you about the plan and you will have to follow it, there is no room for deviations, is that clear?"

"Yes Professor," they both mumbled, still confused.

"So, do you promise?" Dumbledore asked them.

"Yes."

Dumbledore nodded his head and stood up, pulling his wand out of his robes. As he walked over to the pair of them, he said the incantation, waving his wand over them, preparing them for the secrets about to be sealed within them.

"Please sit down, what I'm about to tell you maybe take awhile."

With a deep sigh the pair went to the chairs in front of Dumbledore's desk, looking up at him to start. As Dumbledore explained to them that he already knew about Draco's fated task, and knew that Draco was supposed to fail, but he had a way from him to succeed. He told them both that Snape had been his spy for many years and that he had informed him early on of what was to come. Once Snape had entered the Unbreakable Vow with Draco's mother, Snape had to ensure Draco succeeded. Dumbledore knew that Voldemort needed him dead in order to inspire his new uprising. Draco needed Dumbledore dead in order to stay alive, and Snape had to make sure that he succeeded. His plan was to have Draco finish fixing the two cabinets, let the Death Eaters into the castle, and corner Dumbledore. They were to witness Draco take his wand and stall for time, in order for Snape to come in and perform the curse.

"But Professor, why do you have to die?" Draco asked. "You can stand up to the Dark Lord."

"I'm going to be dying anyways," he explained, holding up his blackened hand. "It is inevitable. So this way, with Snape being the one to kill me, young Draco here doesn't have to become a murderer, and I am dying on my own terms, not because Voldemort wished me dead. Please, it has already been decided, there are larger plans at work here and this has to happen."

"What about protecting him and his mother?"

"Once word of my death has spread, Snape will find a way to deliver your mother to a safe house, under some pretense, we will have to decide on that later. Draco will then go looking for his mother, trying to bring her back to the Manor and young Draco will be 'captured' by members of the Order and subdued. I can't ask that you become a spy for the Order, you are far too young and vulnerable. But you and your mother will be protected and any information you could give us that you know would be very useful. Hermione, later I will call you up here, I'll give you something that you can use to prove Draco's decision to defect against the Dark Lord. Do you understand the plan so far?"

"I-I think so," Hermione said.

"I'm pretty sure I do, although, how do you know that Professor Snape is on your side?"

"Snape has sworn his allegiance to me and I do not question his intentions."

Hermione and Draco both nodded, it wasn't like Dumbledore to be wrong.

"Okay good. Both of you will be updated as the time gets closer, but please do your best to not dwell on the choices made. Now, on to other business, what exactly are you going to tell your classmates about this new development," Dumbledore wondered, mentioning towards they unified hands. "I don't think it would be a good idea to flaunt an open relationship with a Muggle-born just yet young Draco, so we must come up with something."

"I've been thinking about that actually. I knew Harry and Ron wouldn't really approve of our date today, since the whole school probably already knows about it. I was thinking that maybe one of us lost a bet, but now that I know more about what's been going on with Draco, I was thinking maybe that he could be trying to me to help him with repairing the cabinets. Probably manipulating me to teach him how to cast a very powerful Protean charm. I can act like I know nothing about it, and he can tell his classmates and the Death Eaters that he's using me to make sure he's successful. Voldemort might not approve of Muggleborns but he can't deny that I'm a strong witch and if Draco proves that he can woo me into blindly helping him, it might put him more in Voldemort's favor?"

"Hermione, I can't put you in that situation, what if someone tried to hurt you?"

"They won't hurt me as long as they think I'm helping you do the Dark Lord's bidding. And the night in question I'll more than likely be in my dorm safe and sound. What happens after that, it's best not to dwell on since no one can really know anyways."

"Are you sure about this then?" Draco asked.

"Yes, I want you to be protected, and if that means keeping our real relationship a secret I am fine with that. I will have some explaining to do later but it will all be worth it and my friends should come around eventually. Will you do it?"

"Yea, I guess so," Draco assured her shakily.

"And I can probably help come up with a reason that can get Mrs. Malfoy out of the manor. Will your mom be willing to leave?"

"If it means I'm safe and away from the Dark Lord, she'll go. She loves me more than anything, she'll do whatever it takes to keep me safe."

"And what about your father?"

"He's too far gone I'm afraid, I don't think he can go against the Dark Lord, he's too afraid. He might for Mother but he also might try to talk her out of it, I can't really be sure."

"Well for now he's safe in Azkaban, even if it isn't an ideal place to be," Hermione offered.

"Now you two need to head down to the kitchens and have dinner, I'll message you in a few days to further discuss the plans with you. And remember, it is important you keep this to yourselves, get some rest."

Hermione and Draco stood and bid the professor good night, leaving his office in a confused state. They slowly made their way towards the kitchen, neither of them speaking, lost in thought. As they entered the kitchen Dobby ushered them over to a small table, plates already prepared with food. They sat down, still holding hands and picked at their food. Frustrated with the plan, Hermione whipped out her wand and cast a Silencing Charm around them, turning to face Draco.

"Do you really think this plan is going to work? I mean, I'm sure between the two of use, we can fix the cabinets but if Snape is the one to kill the headmaster, will it still count as a success for you?"

"I'm not sure, I think overall it will, since some of the highest ranked Death Eaters will be there to see me corner him and take his wand and Snape will interfere. I'm sure the way they have it planned will turn out okay, considering he really has to die," Draco concluded, face pale.

"This is all so serious, we're only teenagers, how can anyone expect us to know what to do?"

"Is this how Harry felt?"

"Yea, he has it really rough, he's been a target for Voldemort since first year. I don't know how he's stayed sane with everything going on around him," Hermione admitted.

Draco squeezed Hermione's hand, "That's because he's had great friends standing by his side."

They smiled at each other, finishing up their meal and heading out of the kitchens. Draco walked Hermione up to the Gryffindor tower, giving her a goodnight kiss and a lingering hug.

"All in all I'd say today was quite eventful, but really good. I got to go out on a date with a brilliant witch, made Weasley turn a lovely shade of red, and even might have come into the Light. That makes for a good day right?"

"Well if you forgive all the tears and stress that also came with the day, I'll agree, today was quite spectacular," Hermione agreed, holding onto Draco, resting her head on his chest.

"We've definitely had a busy day, so let's get some rest and then we'll deal with everything tomorrow. I'm sure it's bound to be eventful to say the least. And I apologize in advance for any nasty things that may be said to you. Slytherins can be nasty, especially if they are under the impression that I'm taking advantage of you. They are going to try and make you feel insignificant and unworthy, play on any insecurities you have and make sure you know that you mean nothing to me."

"But I'll know it's not true, and I can take anything they throw at me. Some of it may be harsh, and I'm sure I'll have to act at least a little upset, I mean, as far as they know we're not really that close yet right? But, if they think you are trying to use me, why would they tell me that? I mean, wouldn't that hinder your plans at gaining my trust?" she questioned.

"Yea it would but Slytherins are Slytherins, they have prejudices and are jealous of your talents. All they care about is your pain, and really they won't know my real plan, just that I'm using you for something. So of course they'll be nasty," Draco explained.

"That's nothing new to me, so I'm sure I can handle it, plus my friends," she paused, unsure if her friends would actually stand by her this time.

"Oh come on, they've stood by you all these years, do you really think they'd abandon you and leave you to the snakes?" he ask, brow raised.

"I'm not sure, you saw how Ron reacted today, and Harry, well, he's been very suspicious of you all year you know," she revealed.

"Oh, yea, I'm sure that has everything to do with me trying to trap him on the train at the beginning of the year," Draco admitted looking away.

"Do you really blame him for getting your father sent to Azkaban?"

"No, it's my father's fault, he was the one following orders and getting caught. I was just frustrated and trying to act sure of myself."

"Wait, Harry said that he was positive that you had received the Dark Mark, and that you had shown it to your friends, is that true," she squeaked out, afraid he'd say yes.

"No, I was bluffing, I wanted them to have faith in me, but I won't receive a Mark unless I complete my mission," he assured her, showing both his wrists.

Hermione collapsed against him, relief flooding her body; she didn't realize she had tensed up when she asked him the question, not wanting to believe he might have the Mark.

"Just don't let on that you know that, I'm wearing long sleeve shirts so no one realizes I don't have it, not that I truly want it. I'm not sure if harry should know or not. We'll have to ask Dumbledore about that next time we meet with him. But I need to head back to the dungeons, try to get some sleep alright, tomorrow is going to be a big day.


	7. A Real Friend

Hermione waited until he was headed back down the stairs before telling the Fat Lady the password. As she opened the door, she held her breath, waiting for the onslaught she was sure would come. But it never did, when she stepped into the common room, it was empty, almost. Ginny was sitting in one of the armchairs facing the portrait, waiting for Hermione to come in.

"So, tell me, you promised!" Ginny exclaimed.

Hermione's eyes widened, "What? I mean, don't you already know? Where is Ron, and Harry?"

"I made them go to bed, I can be very intimidating when I want to be. I told them that tonight wasn't a good night for an argument and that I was not going to let them bombard you. You went on a date, and you promised you'd tell me about it, so it's time for girl talk, spill," Ginny explained.

Hermione collapsed onto the armchair next to her friend, "Oh Ginny, thank you, that means a lot to me. I really don't think I could have handled them. So you do know my date was with Draco right?"

"Oh, he's Draco know, already on a first name basis?" Ginny teased, smiling.

Hermione cast a Silencing Charm around them, surprisingly eager to share her date with Ginny, "It would have been very awkward to go on the date and call each other by our last names wouldn't it?"

"Oh, so he actually called you Hermione? Really? I didn't think he even knew your first name," Ginny giggled.

"Okay well, first we met up at The Three Broomsticks, he looked **_so_** dreamy in that dark green turtle neck, he's so lithe and slim. He told me I looked stunning and I took his breath away, thanks for helping me choose my outfit." Hermione gushed.

"Stunning? Who knew he could be so charming?" Ginny mused.

"I know," Hermione blushed. "Well we just walked around at first and talked with each other to get to know one another. Then we went to Honeydukes and bought some candy, Draco actually like Shoc-o-Chocs, I had no idea. And, guess what, he took me to Tomes and Scrolls, like actually went in and shopped with me. He knew that I wasn't really fond of Quidditch personally so he had gone there before we met up and he had no problem with how long we were in the bookstore."

"That's sounds like an ideal date for you, not getting dragged into the Quidditch shop **_and_** getting to go in the bookstore," Ginny stated, nudging her friend. "Keep going!"

"Well we were in the bookstore for awhile, and he even bought one of my books for me, along with a few for himself. Then we decided to head back to The Three Broomsticks for some drinks. We had a good time until your brother stormed in I must admit. He bought me a drink and he kept his attention on me the whole time, not Quidditch or even House rivalries. He asked me interesting questions and really listened to my answers."

"Yea, I heard about that, I'm sorry, Ron can really be a git sometimes."

"Sometimes?" Hermione asked incredulously, eyebrow raised.

"Okay, okay, a lot of the time," Ginny conceded with a smile. "I heard about the incident in the pub, he's so, temperamental."

"If you heard about what happened, how come you aren't mad at me like Harry and Ron?"

"First off, I'm way more level headed than them, I care about my friends too. I noticed the change in your attitude this past week, you haven't looked as gloomy. I had no idea why but then when you told me you had a date this morning, I was so excited for you. I'll admit, when I saw you with Malfoy, I was beyond surprised. Before Ron rudely interrupted, I saw how relaxed you looked and how interested he seemed. He didn't appear aloof or snobby like he is at school, so I knew it was him that had made you so happy. I couldn't fault him for that. I mean, whatever he did to earn your forgiveness, or at least favor of a date, he must have meant it. If you are able to get over what he's done to you, and you really are happy, I'm happy. What really won me over was what happened after the incident. I followed you outside to talk to you and Harry was trying to calm Ron down. I heard what he said to you, it really sounded like he cared; I decided not to interrupt because I felt you were in good hands."

"Oh Ginny, you really are the best!" Hermione exclaimed as she hugged her friend tight. "It makes me so happy to hear you say that, now if only Ron and Harry would come around."

"Well you know, they aren't really mad at you, you are their friend. They are worried of course, but it's Mal-Draco that they are mad at really, they don't trust him. And I'm just going to throw this out there, if he insults me or my family, I'm insulting him back. If he's civil I can be civil, although I may let him get away with a jabs at Ron," Ginny snickered.

"He really wants to make a good impression, he really wants things to be okay with us. Although I'll admit he may still make a few snarky remarks, that's just kind of the way he is, but I doubt they'll hold the same malice."

"Well I'm so glad to hear that the date went well, ignoring the Ron part. So what took you so long to come back to the common room huh?" Ginny smiled suggestively.

"Ginny! We just went to the Quidditch pitch to talk. We shared out sweets and talked, I think we really connected," Hermione carefully admitted, hoping her friend wouldn't ask what they talked about. "Okay so enough about my date, how did your day go with Harry, can it be called a date?"

Ginny blushed, "Well I'm not sure about it being called a date but, the day went well. We got some stuff from the Quidditch store, we actually didn't stop by Honeydukes but that's alright. I did stop by the hairdressing salon and got lucky. Here," Ginny reached into her pocket and pulled out Hermione's new hair cream. "They had some in supply."

"Oh thanks, I really appreciate it. What else did you do before The Three Broomsticks?"

"Well we went into Gladrags Wizardwear and looked around, although we didn't buy anything. We must have spent a lot of time in the Quidditch store because we only got there a little before Ron exploded. I noticed you guys right away but Harry didn't. When we sat down, I sat so I faced you guys and Harry wouldn't see you. But when Ron was looking for us he spotted you and then Draco. So of course he exploded, and I'm pretty sure you know the rest of what happened."

"Yea, I think I can remember that, something about Ron being a git," Hermione laughed, feigning a forgetful face. "What about afterwards, I can't imagine the trip back to school was fun, was it really loud, or silent?"

"Well, Harry had managed to calm Ron down by the time I came back into the pub, we all had some Butterbeers and talked about what we were going to do over summer break. We maybe stayed for another half hour before we headed back, hung in the Common Room 'til dinner. Harry was a bit concerned when you didn't show but then Ron started throwing another fit about how you were surely dead in the Forbidden Forest already and that he'd kill Malfoy and blah blah. Harry then turned to me and said, 'Nevermind, I'm sure she's not here because she wants to avoid this, can't blame her. We'll have to have some choice words with her eventually.' I scolded him, saying that you were a responsible witch, the most responsible out of any of us for sure. He just shrugged his shoulders and dropped it, I'm kinda surprised honestly."

Hermione thought for a few moments, absorbing her friend's words, "That really doesn't sound like Harry at all, I mean, he's been obsessing over him for awhile now. He's been totally convinced that he's a Death Eater and is up to no good, he really didn't throw a fit too?"

"Weird right? He's thinking something, I just don't know what. But I guess we'll find out sooner or later, at least not tonight, that's for sure. I didn't want them spoiling your date anymore than it had been, they would be gentlemanly enough to wait until tomorrow," Ginny assured her with a wicked grin.

Hermione laughed again and hugged her friend, thanking her once more and saying goodnight. She could imagine the threats that Ginny used to get the boys to head up to bed, the fiery redhead was known for her jinxes. Quickly undressing and climbing into her bed, she lay back and relived the day; soon falling asleep with a grin on her face.

Draco's return to the dungeons wasn't nearly as eventful, not many Slytherins had gone to Hogsmeade and none of the other Houses were too keen on speaking with them about the supposed date involving Draco. He managed to head to bed after making a short appearance in the Common Room to speak with his classmates. He climbed into bed smiling, knowing today had been everything he had hoped, now he just had to prepare for tomorrow, there were going to be **_a lot_** of accusations coming his way.


	8. Breakfast

*Sunday Morning*

Hermione woke early, knowing that Ron and Harry wouldn't be able to pull themselves out of bed quite yet. They may want to get answers but they'd have to catch her first, and she'd much rather be in the Dining Hall when they found her, hopefully there would be less yelling that way. She hummed as she got dressed, eager to find out how today was going to go, she at least knew that Ginny was on her side. Quickly jumping down the stairs she entered the Common Room to find it deserted, like she expected, and left the room.

The Dining Hall was still pretty empty this early but there were a few other awake souls in the castle. She sat at the empty Gryffindor table and poured herself some orange juice, deciding to eat slowly so she wouldn't be done before anyone else came down. She was deep in thought as a few others came into the Hall to get food. Suddenly a body sat down next to her and took a sip of her juice, starting her out of her thoughts.

"Hey there Princess, up early aren't we?" Draco teased.

"Well you are up just as early you know?" Hermione shot back.

"Yea well, I wanted to see you so I came in early to watch for you, and you still beat me here, still better than me in everything. Damn."

"Well not everything, you're a much better flier than I am I'm sure," Hermione giggled.

"Ah, you are right, although I'm not sure if that counts since you never fly at all, but I've got nothing else yet so it will have to do," he decided, nodding his head. Then he leaned down and kissed her.

Hermione felt like she was melting, here she was out in the open kissing Draco and no one was going to stop her. She smiled against his lips, wanting to deepen the kiss but knowing better. Softly pulling away she looked up at him.

"So, how are you today, got any plans? You know, like coming up with some story to tell your friends?"

"Eh, I was thinking I could spend some time with you first, get the rumor mill running overtime. Plus I wanted to ask you about what the Headmaster said, about us getting the cabinets working again, do you really think we can?"

Hermione raised her eyebrow at the question, "Are you doubting my abilities?"

Draco laughed, realizing she would say something like that, she wouldn't allow failure, especially since Dumbledore needed them to succeed. They sat for a few more moments, eating toast and talking about lighter things, not noticing all the stares they were getting as more students came for breakfast. Ginny sat down across from the pair, clearing her throat, startling them both.

"Hello there Red, good morning to you," Draco greeted her with a smile.

Ginny raised her eyebrows at him, trying to determine if he was being snide, "Red? I don't think anyone has ever called me that."

"Would you prefer something else? I mean I could call you Ginny but I wasn't sure if you would want me saying your name. And I highly doubt you want me calling you Weaselette like some, others call you," Draco observed, glancing over at the Slytherin table.

Ginny snorted, "Really that's what they call me, that's actually kinda cute, but don't you dare tell them I said that! But I think I'll let you call me Red, I like the sound of that, kinda fiery you know?"

Hermione grinned at the conversation between the two of them, glad they were being so warm with each other. Ginny was really letting him give her a nickname, as far as she knew no one had a nickname for her. She'd have to ask Ginny about that later, she was sure there was a good reason behind it.

"I'll have to come up with a nickname for you, but don't worry, it will be more original than Ferret, that's getting a little old anyways," Ginny shrugged, thoughtful look on her face. "Oh, Hermione, better prepare yourself, Harry was in the Common Room when I left, he said he was waiting for Ron so they'll be down-"

"Right about now," Hermione finished for her, looking over at the doorway. Harry and Ron immediately spotted her and then the blonde next to her.

They stormed over to the table, standing on either side of Ginny so they could face Draco. Harry had his arms crossed, stern look on his face; Ron's face was already a bright red, indicating his anger. Hermione sighed, hoping they wouldn't yell, Draco causally put his arm around Hermione's shoulder, looking at the angry pair head on, eyebrow raised. Before anyone could explode, Ginny tried to defuse the situation.

"Guys, why don't you sit, it's rather rude to stand and eat breakfast, wouldn't you say?"

Harry looked down at Ginny, wondering why she let the Slytherin sit at the table, maybe he had just gotten here. Ron sat down, banging the table with his fist, staring daggers at Draco; Harry sat on the other side of Ginny, eyes never leaving his enemy's.

"Potter, Weasley, good morning," Draco greeted.

"Sod off Malfoy, why are you at our table?"

"Well, I was enjoying some good conversation, a little bit of breakfast. Hermione and Red are good company. Besides, why wouldn't I come enjoy breakfast with my girlfriend?"

Hermione looked at him, eyes wide, did he really call her his girlfriend? In front of her friends no less? She was wondering if they'll talk about that soon, Hermione wasn't sure how he felt about becoming official so soon. A smile broke out on her face, realizing that he hadn't wanted her to face her friends alone today. She gave his knee a grateful squeeze, letting him know how thankful she was that he was here.

"B-boyfriend?" Ron sputtered. "This has got to be a joke, there is no way Hermione. And who the hell are you calling Red?"

"Ron, I'm pretty sure he was referring to me, since you know, I have red hair, duh."

Draco and Hermione laughed, Ginny could be snarky when she wanted to be. Ron just looked at her like he had never seen her before.

"You're letting him call you that? No, I'm not letting him call you that. You hear me Ferret, you are not to talk to my sister again, or Hermione, got it? Leave our table now, before things get ugly."

"Ron, I'm my own person, I can give permission for people to call me whatever I want. I actually like the nickname he gave me, so I'm going to let him call me that. If you're not careful I'm going to let him give you one too!"

"Ginny, you can't seriously be okay with this, Malfoy is a prat, you know that."

"Boys, Ginny can make friends with whomever she wishes, as can I. You'll just have to deal with it," Hermione admonished. "I can't believe you're trying to treat us like we're your property, telling us who we can and can't hang out with."

"But Hermione, come on, remember all the things we talked about?" Harry pleaded, a pained look on his face.

"I remember them Harry, but you'll just have to trust that I have a good reason for moving past all that. Draco makes me happy, we had a wonderful date yesterday, up until Ron came in."

"I'm not going to have breakfast with a snake sitting at the table, so you better make him leave or I will," Ron threatened.

"No need for threats Ron, we're done anyways. Come on, let's go for a walk while the weather is still nice. See you boys later okay, we can discuss this when you are feeling more civil," Hermione told them, standing up and taking Draco's hand. As the pair began walking towards the entrance, they heard Ginny call out.

"Hey wait for me, mind if I come?"

"Sure, come on Red," Draco answered.

Ginny said a quick goodbye to Harry and Ron and caught up with them.

"I think I came up with a nickname for you, I'm going to call you Seth."

"Seth?"

"Yea, he's the God of chaos in Egypt, and I find that pretty fitting," Ginny told him, smirking. "I was going to call you Canary because of your blonde hair, you know 'cause I'm Red, but I didn't think that fit you as well as Seth."

Draco nodded his head, approving of the nickname, "God of chaos huh? How did you come up with that?"

"Well, a couple of summers ago, we went on a family trip to Egypt to visit my brother Bill. We saw a bunch of pyramids and learned about all kinds of Gods and Goddesses. Hermione can be Isis, she was the Goddess of magic and protection. Although, if she were a guy, then I'd call her Thoth, he was the God of wisdom," Ginny explained.

"Isis, that sounds pretty, although I like Gryffindor Princess myself," Draco chuckled.

"Oh stop it, I don't even know how I got that nickname. Utterly ridiculous if you ask me."

The trio continued to walk along the grounds, discussing nicknames and laughing at each new one they came up with. Hermione was pleased at how well Draco and Ginny got along with each other, it was unexpected. As the clouds started to gather overhead, they went back to the castle, making their way to the courtyard. They sat along the wall, protected from the weather, and continued to talk.

"You know, I've always wondered, are the rooms in the Slytherin Common Room really as cold as people say?" Ginny asked.

"Yea, it's located by the lake so it doesn't have much insulation to keep warm. Although I kinda prefer it like that, I like the cold."

"Really, I can't imagine, I love Gryffindor Tower, it's cozy and warm."

"I'd probably die then, I get warm easily so I like having cool air around me, playing Quidditch in warm weather really sucks."

"Yea, Quidditch gear does get warm in the sun," Ginny agreed. "You're really a cool person Seth, I never would have imagined with all the stories I've heard from my brother."

"Well I'll admit, I can be an ass, especially to your brother and Potter. It's been that way since our first year. But you're really chill Red, definitely my favorite Weasley, I can already tell," he smirked.

"I'm so glad you two get along, I can't imagine what it would be like if I was forced to choose between you two. Thanks for being level headed Gin," Hermione gushed, hugging her friend.

"Aw, Mione, you know I've got your back. I've been making my own decisions about people for years, it's not like I depend on my brother to approve of my friends. "

"Yea, then you probably wouldn't have any at all," Draco mused.

"I think we should head back to the Common Room, I've got to face Harry and Ron eventually. And the sooner the better, I don't want them to fester and do something rash. Coming Gin?"

"Yea, I got your back, talk to you later Seth, maybe we can all meet up in the library during the week, do homework or something yea?"

"Yea, sounds good Red," Draco nodded. "I'm sure the Slytherins are foaming at the mouth to figure out what's going on with me too."

As Hermione and Ginny headed back towards Gryffindor tower Draco watched them go, amazed that he had just made friends with a Weasley, and he sat at the Gryffindor table for breakfast. The dungeons were going to be chaotic when he finally went down there; he really wasn't looking forward to telling his classmates some fake reason he was dating Hermione. He straightened his shoulders and made his way to the dungeons, working on his story as he went.


	9. Stories and Excuses

*In the Dungeons*

"Yo, Draco, please tell me I didn't see what I thought I saw earlier at breakfast?" Blaise started in immediately.

"Drackie, tell us someone was playing some mean prank on us," Pansy pleaded, wrapping her arms around him.

Draco managed to pull himself out of her grasp and sat on one of the couches, waiting for the questions to stop. His friends recognized his posture and quieted down, wanting answers.

"I'm going to assume you are all talking about what took place at breakfast?" Draco inquired, everyone nodding.

"It's quite simple, as much as any Purebloods here will be loathe to admit it, Granger is the smartest witch in our class. As most of you know, I'm in charge of something quite important this year," Draco paused, making sure everyone was paying attention. Most of them were in the train compartment when he was bragging about his new mission. He blinked to keep his face stoic, but he remembered how it felt to try and sound tough. He didn't want his friends to see him scared, so he acted like he was always expected to, cool and calculating.

"Well because of that, I've been rather busy. My mother of course keeps telling me that school is important, although, with the way things are going, I doubt I'll really need it, don't you all agree?" he chuckled, keeping up the façade. After he saw a few smirks he continued, "Well in order to appease my mother, I've decided to enlist the help of Granger, simple as that."

"You're consorting with the Mudblood, just to keep your mother happy? Don't you think she'll be upset with your choice?"

"No one here can argue that they are smarter than her, especially you Pans, don't kid yourself," Draco sneered. He had grown tired of her clinging on him, she needed to learn to move on.

"Besides, my father always told me that I need to assert myself over those of lesser breeding then us, so I'm taking what I want. He'd understand and I'm sure he'll bring Mother around, I'm not worried about that. But all that aside, you are to leave her be, I don't want to hear about any threats. Threats to her means threats to my mother's happiness, and I won't stand for that. So just get used to the fact that I'll be hanging around her for the time being."

"Well you could be doing worse, she's definitely grown up eh Draco?" Blaise snickered. "So you're really going to be dating her? For her brains? What about the Golden Boy and the Weasel?"

"Yea, essentially, but it's nothing to worry about, I'll have her falling all over me in no time. As for them, it's just an added bonus that I'm going to be pissing off," Draco laughed. He knew his fellow Slytherins would appreciate seeing Weasley and Potter suffering because of him.

"Well as long as you know what you're getting into man. Like you said, she's smart, aren't you worried she'll figure out that you're doing something on the side?" Crabbe asked him.

"Naw, I'll keep her plenty distracted from the truth, she just has to stay pretty and do my homework. She'll have her hands full with Potter and Weasley anyways, they aren't going to like this at all. So, if that answers all of your questions, who wants to play some chess?"

The group of 6th year Slytherins looked around, trying to decide if he had lost his mind. But they came around, trusting him to know what he was doing; none of them were too keen on the idea though, but they'd go along with it, for now.

*Gryffindor Common Room*

As Hermione opened the portrait, she saw harry and Ron playing chess by the fire, waiting for her and Ginny to return. They both sighed, readying themselves for the questions; they went and sat next to the boys and watched the chess game. It was silent for awhile, neither Harry nor Ron wanting to ask the first question and start an argument. But eventually the silence had to be broken, Ginny huffing with impatience.

"Well, is one of you going to say something? You were full of words earlier," she sighed, wanting to get it over with. None of them were fun when they were arguing with each other, especially when she had to choose between Hermione and her brother, and Harry usually sided with Ron.

"Well is Hermione going to listen to what we have to say?" Ron questioned.

"Only if you treat me as your friend and not as your property," Hermione shot back.

"Hermione, how did this happen?" Harry asked quietly, trying to keep the peace.

Hermione looked over at Harry, face softening, "Well it was all by accident really, I came across Draco when we were both rather… stressed out. We startled each other, but for some reason, we also kinda connected." Hermione paused, not sure how much she should tell them about their first encounter. She didn't want to tell them anything they might try to use against Draco.

"We got to talking, both wanting to just forget about everything for awhile. And we realized that we're really not that different, not like we thought. So he asked me on a date this weekend, and I said yes. We actually had a great time."

"But Hermione, he's been so mean to you since first year! Have you forgotten that?" Ron asked.

"No I haven't forgotten, but I have forgiven. And that is my right to do so, can you understand that?"

"No, I can't. How can you forgive that prat after all the things he's said and done?"

"I just have Ron, forgiving someone is very liberating, you should try it some time. I saw a new side of Draco that I hadn't seen before, one that was worth forgiving. I know that you haven't seen much good in him, and I can't ask you to forgive him yet but I'm hoping you'll at least respect my decision."

"So are you dating him then, after one date?" Harry wanted to know.

"Yes, actually I am," Hermione answered, smiling.

"I'm going to be sick," Ron mumbled.

Ginny shook her head at her brother's immaturity, "I think Draco is pretty cool, we had a lot of fun today."

"Ginny, I can't believe you fell for his act too? I thought you were both smarter than that!"

Ugh, Ron, will you ever grow up? Have you thought that maybe you're the one that needs to smarten up?" Ginny retorted.

"Yea, is it really that hard to believe that Draco can change, that there is another side of him?"

"There can't be anoth-" Ron started

"Hermione, I know you don't want to hear this right now but, remember what I was telling you about him? You can't also forget that too can you?" Harry interrupted.

"I haven't forgotten Harry, I just don't fully believe it that's all. I was never as sure as you were about it. I'm sorry."

Ron just stormed off, not wanting to listen to any more. Ginny just shrugged and gave them both a hug, mentioning that she was meeting some of her other friends for lunch.

"Hermione, I'm not going to get mad like Ron, I know you are smart, and I know you are a very caring person. I'm worried about you, that maybe Malfoy is taking advantage of your caring nature. But I still want us to be able to talk and I'll do my best to keep Ron from getting mad okay? That's the best I can do right now," Harry conceded.

"Harry, that's more than I can ask right now, I know it can't be easy for you, he's done a lot in his past and you have no reason to forgive him yet. But I would appreciate not losing you guys are friends over this," Hermione admitted, giving Harry a hug. "Ready for a light lunch, then we can go over some homework?"

"That sound good Mione, homework sounds like a safe subject, I'm sure Ron will join us."

Harry called Ron over and asked if he was going to lunch; he agreed after Hermione promised to not mention Draco as long as no one else did. The trio went back down the stairs, quieter than usual, unsure of what to talk about. When they got to the Dining Hall, they sat by Ginny and her friends, Lavender was already sitting with Parvarti, none of them were keen on joining them right now. As they ate lunch, they gradually warmed into conversation, talking about classes and how much homework they had. Harry snuck a few glances over to the Slytherin table while they were eating, watching Draco closely. He wondered what he had said to Hermione to get her to trust him; he must have been a really good actor to fool her. Suddenly he got an idea, he mentally kicked himself for not seeing it earlier.

When they made it back to the Common Room, Harry secured them a place by the fire while Hermione and Ron got their school bags. He'd have to be really careful when bringing up the subject; he couldn't have either of his friends getting mad right now.

"Alright, do you guys want to work on Charms homework first? Or maybe Transfiguration?" Hermione asked, pulling out her parchment.

Ron and Harry agreed on Transfiguration, deciding they'd need more help on that than Charms. The group worked quietly for awhile, Hermione occasionally answering questions and looking over what they'd written. As the group tired of homework and Ron was scribbling on his parchment, Harry decided to bring up Malfoy again.

"Hey Hermione, I wanted to ask you something, about what we talked about earlier," Harry mentioned, eying Ron.

Luckily Ron hadn't noticed anything and Hermione nodded for him to continue. Harry took a deep breath and took the plunge.

"Well I was thinking about it during lunch, um, I don't want you to get mad if I say this wrong but… well, is it possible that, maybe you might want to spy on Malfoy?"

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him, was he seriously asking if she'd spy on her boyfriend for him? Not that she could tell him anything anyways, but Harry didn't know that.

"I mean, if you really do believe he's not the person we think, maybe you could come up with some evidence, something I'd believe. And if on the off chance he was lying to you, do you think you would keep me in the loop?"

"So, you want me to find you some redeeming information on Draco? If I can, since you don't really think it's possible. And if it turns out I was wrong, you want me to continue to date him so I can gather information on his actions?"

"Yea, pretty much," Harry admitted.

"Harry sometimes I wonder about you," Hermione sighed, although she couldn't fault him for it. In a way he had been right about Draco, just for the wrong reasons, but she had to keep quiet about it for now. "If it will make you feel better, I'll keep an eye out alright? Although I honestly don't know what you'll think I'll find out, either way."

"So you aren't mad right?"

"No, I'm not mad Harry, I know you are concerned about him, you have been all year. Just don't get too obsessed okay, there are other things to pay attention to," Hermione told him, glancing over at Ginny and giving Harry a knowing look.

Harry blushed at what she was implying, wondering at how he felt about Ginny. Hermione stood up, letting them both know she was going to take a break from homework before dinner, heading up to her room to think about her situation.

*Dungeons*

Draco felt like he had won his friend's over for the time being, he was sitting back on the couches, watching Blaise and Theo playing chess. Pansy was throwing him dirty looks but she was just jealous that he wasn't giving her any attention. She had come over and sat in his lap early, coyly smiling at him; he had all but shoved her to the ground and told her he wasn't interested.

"You're only pretending to date the Mudblood to use her, that doesn't mean that you can't still give me attention does it? I mean, it's not like anyone here will tell her. Mudbloods don't even have feelings so it's not like you're cheating on her," Pansy sneered.

Draco saw red when she started spouting off about Mudbloods like that. But he had kept his cool, barely, and told her that he just wasn't in to her anymore; which was completely true. They had broken up at the end of 4th year, she was way too clingy for him, and always calling him Drackie which irked him to no end. She had been told repeatedly not to call him that but she insisted. He just couldn't find himself to stay with her when he was infuriated by her more times than not; she had good intentions but they just weren't for him.

Soon he found himself thinking about Hermione , wondering how things were going for her. They couldn't sit together all the time, and he doubted she'd feel safe enough to come eat at the Slytherin table; honestly he didn't want her there, he knew Pansy and her friends would try their hardest to upset her. Blaise and Theo would be alright as far as he could guess, and Goyle and Crabbe, they hardly said anything anyways. He supposed he might be able to manage lunch with her during the week and maybe breakfast on the weekends. Draco definitely wanted to see her after the 'conversation' with Pansy. Looking over at her again, he wondered what she was thinking, if he knew Pansy, she was going to try something to get Hermione to leave him. She just couldn't stop herself from interfering; truly believing that he belonged to her. It drove him mad sometimes, although it did have its advantages the last few years. At least he never had to go to any dances alone.


	10. The Vanishing Cabinet

*Great Hall*

Hermione noticed that Harry watched the Slytherin table intently all through dinner, he seemed to have renewed his vendetta against Draco since their last talk. Ron politely ignored them both, choosing to sit with Lavender and snog. Hermione just tried to not blatantly stare at Draco the whole time, so instead she struck up conversation with Ginny. Occasionally Hermione glanced at the Slytherin table, she noticed that Pansy was trying hard to keep Draco's attention. Although she should feel jealous, she didn't; Pansy was always vying for his attention, it would be no different now that he was dating a Gryffindor. She would definitely have to be on her toes, Pansy had been a thorn in her side since first year, and based on the dirty looks Pansy kept giving her, it was going to a lot worse.

As dinner past and everyone started in on dessert, Draco decided to excuse himself from the table and talk to Hermione. Pansy hadn't stopped talking all night and she kept trying to wrap her arm in his; he was grateful when Blaise 'accidently' knocked over Theo's goblet and spilled juice on her lap. The distraction had allowed him to get away without having to make a jeer at Pansy; she was annoying but he didn't want to hurt her feelings. If he did that, then she'd become even more suspicious of his 'fake' relationship. He felt a lot of stares as he made his way to stand behind Hermione, waiting for her and Ginny to notice him.

"Oh, hey there Draco, what's up?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to help me study tonight, get a head start before classes this week?" Draco asked, putting a slight emphasis on study.

Hermione blinked a few times, catching the emphasis, before widening in understanding, "Yea that sounds good. I can work on the rest of the homework I didn't finish earlier."

Draco nodded, smiling, now he'd be able to spend more time with her, and hopefully do something about the cabinets. Ginny and Hermione scooted apart so he could sit with them while they finished; Neville and Colin almost dropping their spoons as he sat across from them. Draco tried to hide his smirk, he was still a Slytherin after all, he loved causing a bit of mayhem here and there. Ron excused himself and Lavender, throwing nasty glares down the table as they left, Ginny made a face at him to match his immaturity. As the trio stood up, Ginny glanced at Harry to see if he was coming but he was talking Dean and Seamus so she let him stay. Draco followed them up to the tower, standing down the stairs a bit so he didn't hear their password.

Ginny excused herself to go up to her dormitory, deciding to work on her homework alone, instead of sitting and watching her brother snog his girlfriend. Hermione snuck past the busy couple and a few younger Gryffindors and went up to the 6th year boys' dorms. She disliked stealing but she told herself she was just going to borrow it, not steal it. Quickly finding Harry's bed, she opened his trunk and immediately found the Marauder's Map, stuffing it into her robes. She knew that Harry had been watching the map religiously since school began, trying to watch Malfoy's every move. Hermione figured she'd borrow it so he wouldn't –not- see them in the library doing homework. Plus they'd be able to make sure the hallway was clear before they left.

She quickly went back down the Common Room, not wanting Harry or Ron to spot her in there. Luckily Harry was still out and Ron hadn't noticed a thing. Grabbing her backpack, Hermione went back out to meet Draco.

"Did you want to get your bag just in case or no?"

"I suppose I should, just in case we run into anybody," Draco shrugged.

As the pair made their way to the dungeons, Hermione began to feel nervous; were they really going to let Death Eaters into the school? What would happen when the Order found out she had participated?

"Calm down Princess, no one is going to know. Well not beside you, me, and the Headmaster. And he's the one that told us it had to happen, he has some grand plan that we are only a small part of."

"How did you know I was worried?"

"You were fidgeting, you only do that when you are worried or nervous. And I know you can't be that nervous to walk down to the dungeons, so it had to be about later."

Hermione sighed, she wasn't used to someone paying so much attention to her and told him as much. Harry and Ron were pretty clueless about her quirks; Draco had already picked up on quite a few and he had only been close to her for a week now. Is this how it was for most couples? Looking up at him, she smiled warmly, finally feeling noticed. Draco smiled back at her and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close, happy that he could be open about their relationship even if his friend's thought it was fake.

She waited outside the dungeons as Draco got his bag, breathing a sigh of relief when no one else made their way in or out. She didn't feel like getting into a fight at the moment, especially being a Prefect. Luckily Draco was a Prefect as well, even if he had been shirking his duties this year; although as Hermione thought about it, maybe Dumbledore had realized why and decided not to take away his badge. Dumbledore definitely had a strange way of thinking and believing in people. Maybe she'd talk with the Head Girl about scheduling them together, so that way they'd have time together and they'd be promoting inter-house unity. Besides, then the Head Boy and Girl would know he's not being irresponsible anymore.

"What are you thinking about now? You have a pretty determined look on your face there," Draco called out as he came back into the hallway.

"Oh, I was thinking of talking to the Head Girl about scheduling us together for Prefect duty, then we can have a reason for being out and about at night. Plus we can spend more time together," Hermione said, smiling.

"Ah, I see your brain has been working again, I'm surprised I haven't lost my badge honestly."

"I thought about that too, I think Dumbledore may have talked the Heads into letting you stay a Prefect. How he did that I'm not sure, you have been neglecting things."

"Yea, kinda have other things on my mind, but now I'm glad for it. But, if we're supposed to be patrolling, how will we work on our project?"

"I've got an answer for that as well, but I'll tell you when we get to the Room of Requirement," Hermione whispered, grabbing Draco's hand and pulling him along.

As Draco opened the Room, Hermione pulled out the map and whispered the passphrase. Quickly surveying the area, she made sure they were alone before heading into the Room and locking the door. Draco led the way through the crowded room towards the cabinet. He lifted the cloth and folded it neatly, letting Hermione look it over.

"Hmm, it might be a little difficult to cast the charms when only one cabinet is readily in reach but we should be okay, we still have some time to work on it."

"I hope we can figure it out," Draco contemplated, looking at the blasted thing.

"Oh, and one more thing, and it has to remain a secret okay?"

"Sure, I'm good with secrets."

Hermione pulled the map out again, walking over to Draco and handing it to him.

"And this is?" Draco questioned, looking at the map with wide eyes.

"It's called the Marauder's Map, invented by Misters Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs. It shows where everyone in the castle is at any given time, excluding in hidden rooms, such as this one."

"Wait, is this really how you and the others got around the castle so much?"

"Well, not at first, we didn't find it until our third year, but after that yea we used it. Harry has been using it to try and keep track of you," Hermione said quickly.

"Yea, after the incident on the train, I'm not surprised, although knowing he has this, I'm glad it can't see inside this room. Plans may have gone bad a lot earlier if he had caught on."

"And we were confused at first, the Map has never been wrong, but we kept seeing a group of first and second year students but they were marked as Crabbe and Goyle," she revealed, looking at Draco for an explanation.

"Oh, I had them drink Polyjuice Potion. It wouldn't do to have the same two people outside the hallway every time I was in here," Draco confessed. "So the Map isn't affected by potions, interesting."

"That is good to know, Harry was worried that it was messing up. He never thought about using a potion I suppose. I never put much thought into it because I was a little more skeptical. But in a way, Harry was right, I never would have thought."

"Well I'm glad you weren't too keen on helping him figure it out, things would have been very different. And I'm glad you know my side of it as well, as sinister as it may be," Draco murmured.

"It's okay Draco, I know what's going on, and I'm still by your side for all of this. We'll be able to protect as many of the students as possible by knowing when they are coming into the school."

"That does mean a lot to me," Draco sighed, looking into her eyes.

"I figured that we could use the Map in place of patrolling, we'd be able to see if anyone was out late and know exactly where they were. Plus we'll be able to see if anyone is outside before we leave."

"I'm glad Potter has something like this, and that you aren't above borrowing it to help me out."

Hermione blushed and set the map on a table next to the cabinet and inspected it further. She opened the doors and felt along the inside, getting a feel for the broken magic inside. Draco watched her, unsure of what she was looking for or what she was going to do about it.

"There are definitely traces of magic, so it is partially connected to the other cabinet, did you notice this when you first started?"

"Honestly, no. I didn't inspect it that closely, and I doubt I caused that to happen," he answered his girlfriend.

"That's a good sign then, they want to be connected, so any strong magic we cast on this one should be carried over to its twin. Does it only transport living things?"

"I'm not sure, I mean, when I tried inanimate objects, there was no way to know what was happening to it. Then when I started sending birds, they'd come back dead. I have no idea if they survived the original trip or not. I almost think that Borgin kills the birds before sending them back. Although that does at least mean it will transport nonliving things, I just don't know if they survive the trip. Kinda an important part of the whole thing, I wouldn't mind if some key Death Eaters didn't make the trip but then I'd be the one to pay."

"Yea, I think the only way to find out for sure is for you to be at one and me at the other, then we'll know that no one interfered with the birds. I vote that you are the one to visit the shop and I can stay here," Hermione stated.

Draco just chuckled, it certainly wouldn't do for Hermione to show up at Borgin and Burkes and start looking around. That would just be alerting everyone to her involvement and his betrayal; he could easily lie to Borgin about who stayed behind to send the birds the shop. Now he just had to get to the shop, luckily Easter holiday was coming up and he'd be able to go home. Suddenly he was beyond relieved that he was no longer alone in this. To express his gratitude he walked over to Hermione and pulled her close, nuzzling her hair and breathing deep.

"Draco?"

"Hermione, I-I love you," he whispered in her ear.

Hermione squeezed Draco, face blushing; she buried her face in his chest, smiling uncontrollably. Had he really just said that? How did this not feel so sudden, she should feel nervous, this was too soon wasn't it? Instead she found herself looking up at his face, tears building in her eyes, "I love you back Draco."

Draco let out the breath he hadn't even realized he was holding, happiness flooding his body at her response. He was loved, Hermione loved him, she was going to stand by his side and help him overcome his obstacles. They stayed like that, holding onto each other, losing themselves in the moment, and forgetting about the horrible task they needed to complete.


	11. Spending Time Together

A/N: In this chapter, I had to make up who was the Head Girl and Head Boy, the Head girl, is just someone I made up, I didn't find anyone that suited my tastes so I made her up. I made her a Hufflepuff because I didn't want to have everything Gryffindor centered. Also for the Head Boy, I picked Adrian Pucey, I know he was 2 years older than Harry and everyone, but for the sake of the story I added him in as a 7th year. He seemed to be one of the more open Slytherins and not so cold so he fit perfectly. I made him a Slytherin b.c it would help with the Prefect situations. Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Hermione pulled away reluctantly after a few moments to turn back to the cabinet. She intertwined her fingers with Draco's, pulling him with her so they could both concentrate on it. She guided his hands to the wood, showing him the traces of magic that he hadn't noticed before. Draco looked over at her, amazed that she had noticed the faint magic, could connect with it like that; something he had overlooked entirely.

"So, because of this magic, the cabinets are still connected and we can fix them for sure?"

"I'm almost 100% positive we can. The cabinets want to be fixed, they want to be together again. Whoever built the cabinets used strong magic, it's lasted all of these years and through a lot of damage. It would help if we knew how they got damaged in the first place, but I think we'll be okay as is."

The pair looked over some of the books that Hermione had brought with her, looking for charms and spells that could help them. Draco informed his companion that he had already cast a repair charm on both cabinets, fixing their broken down appearance. They discussed trying a variation of _occulus reparo_ by using the term magicka to see if that might help. They also wanted to strengthen the magic by using a Protean Charm, like Hermione had done with the D.A. Galleons; then they'd have a reinforced magical link. By the time the duo had made a list of possible spells to use, it had gotten pretty late.

"So much for that 'homework' we were supposed to be doing," Draco chuckled.

"Well all my homework for tomorrow is done, is yours?"

"I think so, although I definitely have to work on homework tomorrow. Have a lot that is due on Wednesday, hopefully you can help me with that? For real this time."

Hermione laughed, why didn't anyone else do their homework ahead of time? So she nodded her head, happy to spend more time with him; hopefully none of the Slytherins came and bothered them. They looked over at the parchment, making sure that no one was waiting for them outside and the patrolling prefects weren't coming their way. They said their goodnights and went to their Common Rooms, each lost in thought.

*Monday*

Hermione managed to sit with Ron and Harry for breakfast without anyone mentioning Draco, although Harry didn't really look like he was concentrating on breakfast. She didn't have long to dwell on it before everyone left for their first class of the day. Keeping her head down, she was able to focus on all her classes; now that she was helping Draco, falling behind wasn't an option. Remembering her workload from third year, Hermione buckled down and organized her workload in between classes, that way, after dinner, she'd be able to get it all done quickly and focus on searching for more spells that might help them. Working with the cabinets were more complicated than she had original thought; they hadn't been able to try any spells the other night but Hermione could feel the protection magic that would be hard to work around. With a deep sigh, Hermione joined her friends as they went down to lunch.

Draco and his gang were heading to lunch after a long Charms class, when Pansy started making trouble. He noticed her whispering with Millicent Bulstrode, a dark gleam in their eyes as they looked over at the Gryffindor table. Draco was torn, he had been wanting to sit with Hermione for lunch, but now he was tempted to stay and try to find out what they were planning. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Blaise slowing down, trying to overhear their conversation. Blaise was dependable, he didn't openly take sides with any one person or another but Draco had won Blaise's allegiance a few years ago. Draco never pulled Blaise in on any of his schemes because he was always trying to stay neutral, but whenever Draco needed information, Blaise was the one to go to. Making a decision, the blond made his way over to the red and gold table, catching Blaise's eye to ensure that he'd keep an eye on the girls.

Once he laid eyes on Hermione, his apprehension disappeared. He just felt so at ease with her, most of the other students probably wouldn't have noticed, but a few did. His face was always a mask, schooled since a young age to not betray any feelings; but his eyes gave him away this time. The knowing smile from Ginny confirmed it; he just lit up when he was thinking of her. Coming up behind her, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and leaned his cheek next to hers.

"How is my Princess doing today?"

"Oh, hi Draco, you startled me. I'm good, are you still wanting to do homework tonight?"

"Of course, I want to keep my place as 2nd student in our year. Mind if I have lunch with you?"

"Please, join us," Hermione assured him, scooting over.

Draco quickly sat next to her before anyone at the table could comment on his presence. He looked over to see who was on his other side and saw Longbottom glaring at him.

"Hello, how are you Longbottom?" Draco asked, trying to make polite conversation as he started putting food on his plate.

"Just fine before you arrived Malfoy, why are you sitting here, you aren't a Gryffindor," Neville accused.

"Well, I'm trying to spend more time with Hermione, and I'd rather she didn't come sit at the Slytherin table. Nor do I think anyone here would allow her to regardless. I figure I can put up being in enemy territory more then she can."

"Hermione is a Gryffindor, she's braver than you Malfoy."

"I never said she was chicken Longbottom," Draco hissed, trying to keep his cool. "Just that I was more suited to it. Slytherins can be nasty and I'd rather she didn't have to sit and listen to their jeers why she's trying to eat. At least you Gryffindors keep your malice straightforward, I can handle that easily."

Neville looked the blond over, trying to see what he was up to, "I'll be watching you, Hermione is my friend."

"I know she is, she's helped you a lot through the years, I'm not surprised you became friends, and you're in the same year. I'm sure that about all the 5th year students and above are keeping an eye on me at this table. Just don't treat her like Weasley does and we won't have a problem."

"What's that supposed to mean exactly?"

Draco turned, checking to make sure Hermione was still absorbed in her conversation and that Ron wasn't within earshot. "He treats her like he owns her; he doesn't make any time for her until he needs something from her, then when she does something he doesn't want her to, he tries to bully her into changing her mind. Surely you've noticed how he refuses to let her do anything he deems as inappropriate yet whenever she needs a friend, he's not there. Half the time he's the reason she cries. Even I can see that from the Slytherin table. I know you can't be that dense, even if I implied that over the years."

Neville smirked at the comment, Malfoy had said his fair share of rude things towards him. But as he looked over at his friend, he became serious again, "I have noticed that, they aren't exactly quiet when they get in a fight, and Ron can be pretty dense when it comes to girls. But no, I would never treat her like that. I just wanted you to know I'll be watching you."

Draco nodded his head in understanding, "And I just want you to know that I won't treat her like that either. She's a lioness, she's more than capable of making her own decisions, I can appreciate the challenges she throws my way instead of being intimidated by them."

Neville regarded the Slytherin as he turned away, engaging Ginny in conversation. At least Malfoy had always voiced his thoughts, he wasn't shy about offending anyone; Neville knew he felt strongly about Hermione. He just didn't understand how it had happened. If he could appreciate her then he was glad, especially if he was able to treat her right, when Ron never seemed to be able to. Neville shook his head, how had Malfoy become an almost welcome part of the Gryffindor table?

When lunch was over, Draco walked with Hermione to Ancient Runes, telling her about his brief discussion with Neville. She was amazed at how the Gryffindors almost seemed to accept him being there. He had been a thorn in their side for years, especially as a Slytherin, and yet, no one beside Ron had really hassled him. Hermione counted her blessing as she looked at the blond sitting next to her; she never thought she'd be openly dating him and that he really did have a sweet side. All too soon class was over and they went their separate ways, being in separate Houses was hard but they did have some classes together.

Tonight Hermione was going to talk with the Head Girl about the patrols; she was sure that everyone would be happy, except Pansy. With everyone on edge because of Voldemort having come back, they needed all the Prefects working together. Since Draco had been neglecting his duties, Pansy had been jumping around, joining other duos on their rounds; no one was to do rounds alone. Maybe now, Ron would be patrolling with Pansy since she would be working with Draco.

As dinner approached, Hermione and her friends went up to change out of their school robes and drop off their bags. Ron and Harry were still a little awkward around her, but she felt like she was doing a much better job of not flaunting her relationship, unlike Ron. He still hadn't realized how much he had hurt her when he thoughtlessly snogged Lavender in front of her. How could he not realize how awkward it was? Sure she had felt something towards him that he was completely unaware of, but how did he not feel self conscious about blatantly making out in front of everyone? Maybe she should return the favor, but then she'd also have to deal with Harry being hurt by her actions, she couldn't bring herself to do that. At least she didn't feel alone any more, Draco made her feel important.

When the trio entered the Dining Hall, Hermione made her way to the Hufflepuff table, seeking out the Head Girl.

"Hey Angela, can I talk with you for a moment?"

"Of course Hermione, sit with us," the Head Girl offered with a smile.

Hermione sat next to her, "Well I was wondering if I could talk to you about the patrolling duty. I was hoping I could work with Draco, I know we aren't of the same House, but Headmaster Dumbledore is always encouraging inter-house unity."

"You want to work with a Slytherin? What about Ron?"

"Well you could try to place him with Pansy but I doubt that would work. But maybe we can mix up some of the other Prefects too, work on all the Houses working together."

"That's a good idea, at our next meeting I'll have people make lists of who they would like to work with and who they can't. Hopefully someone will get along with the Slytherins, it wouldn't be fair for them to all work together still. But they are friendly with some Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws so it should be alright. But can you really work with Malfoy?"

"Well, umm, I'll be honest, I know you don't fully support couples working together. I am dating Draco now, officially. But I honestly I'm sure I can get him to be more responsible."

"What? When did that happen? How did I miss that?"

"Well, it's only been a few days," Hermione confessed, blushing.

"You're right, normally I don't allow couples to work together, too many shenanigans. But, you are one of the hardest workers I know. You hate breaking rules, except when you are with Harry," Angela joked. "If you really think he'll be more responsible and will start performing his duties again, I'll allow it."

"Oh thank you Angela, you're the best. Thanks for understanding. Do you think you could talk with Adrian Pucey? I hardly ever see him and I don't exactly feel welcome at the Slytherin table."

"Yea, I'm sure he'll be open to the idea, he's been worried about Draco. And he's pretty open to new ideas so he should be able to convince the Slytherin Prefects to go along with the new patrol partners. I'm glad the Head Boy is friendly, I was worried at the beginning of the year about working with a Slytherin."

"Thanks, this means a lot to me," Hermione repeated.

Glad that she was able to get her point across, she trotted back over to her friends, eager to eat dinner. Sneaking a glance over to Slytherin, she saw Draco in a whispered conversation with Blaise. They had a Prefect meeting on Wednesday so hopefully they'd be able to work on the Cabinets some time after that. She quickly joined in with the others talking about what they were going to be doing over the Easter holiday.


	12. Dangerous Games

When Draco went down for dinner, he pulled Blaise away from the rest of the group, sitting further away than usual. Once they sat and started eating, he glanced around to make sure Pansy and her group weren't looking their way.

"So, did you find out what Pansy was scheming?"

"Yea, tomorrow in Potions, she's going to have Millicent distract Professor Slughorn and she's going to put some Angel's Trumpet in her potion."

"What? Angel's Trumpet? That could kill her if she drinks the potion, what's wrong with her?" Draco fumed, staring daggers at the witch down the table.

"She claims she only going to put a small amount in, but when she pulled out the jar, there was more than just a pinch. I don't know if she's going to use all of it or not. She's not the brightest, she only got by in Potions because of Snape. She probably honestly doesn't know just how dangerous it is, but that still doesn't excuse her. So, what are you going to do?" Blaise asked.

"I'm not sure just yet. I'll probably have her sit with me in class so I can keep an eye on her potion. Maybe if I'm with her Pansy will change her mind, she probably doesn't want me to know about her plan so she should back off."

"Alright, I'll help you keep an eye out; I don't want Granger to die just because Pansy is being a jealous idiot," Blaise assured him.

"Thanks, glad I can count on you."

"Well, you did help me out big time in our 4th year so I owe you a lot. Plus Pansy is annoying, so it will be fun to ruin her plans.

"I'll admit I'm surprised, I thought you didn't like Muggles or Muggle-borns?"

"Heh, dude, I'm a Slytherin, of course I'm going to say that. I don't care much for anyone, you know that. Mother didn't raise me to be touchy-feely or friendly, but I do consider you a friend now, so I will be cordial to your new girlfriend. At least privately, no promises when too many people are watching, I do want to uphold my reputation."

Draco laughed, Blaise could be hard to understand some times but he was trustworthy. He wondered how he really felt about Muggle-borns and the like, he never seemed to be friendly towards anyone. Draco looked over at Hermione, watching her laugh with her friends; Slytherin table hardly seemed so warm. Sure they talked and made friends, but Gryffindor was clearly the chummiest table. Hufflepuffs were quite laid back with everything and Ravenclaws were so used to being in the library that they spoke quietly most of the time. For years now he wondered what it would be like if he had been sorted into her house; he didn't know if he could adjust to the constant shows of emotion. Blaise and Draco continued to discuss ideas of how to deal with Pansy during dinner, keeping a wary eye on Pansy the whole time.

*Tuesday*

Hermione woke up early, unable to sleep any longer so she decided to head to Ginny's dorm and wake up her friend. She opened the curtains around Ginny's bed and flopped down next to her friend.

"Psst, Gin, wake up, I'm hungry."

"Wha, I don't wan' a bunny," Ginny mumbled in her sleep.

"But they are so fluffy and cute, are you sure?"

"I got Arnold"

Hermione started giggling and pulled Arnold out of his small bed, placing him by Ginny's ear. Arnold started snuggling in her ear and wandered around on her face. Hermione watched as Ginny mumbled in her sleep and wiggled her nose. She started laughing more when Ginny finally reached up and felt the furry little puff on her face.

"Huh, Arnold, how did you get out of your box?" Ginny wondered, slowly opening her eyes and petting the puff. Suddenly she registered someone laughing and sleepily looked around. Spotting Hermione, Ginny scowled, "You put Arnold on me? Why are we awake right now?"

"I can't sleep anymore, and I don't want to go eat breakfast by myself, come on, let's get an early start."

"Ugh, the things I put up with!" Ginny groaned.

Hermione laughed some more and tossed Ginny her school clothes, urging her to get up. As Ginny made her way to the bathrooms to shower, Hermione finished gathering her school supplies and went to the Common Room to wait. She pulled out her Potions essay and looked it over for any mistakes, she was glad that Professor Slughorn was teaching Potions this year, he was much more friendly, although now Snape was in charge of Defense of the Dark Arts. When Ginny finally emerged from the stairs, Hermione put her homework away and they went down to breakfast. Ginny hated waking up early but she did enjoy the earlier hours of breakfast, it was much quieter and more peaceful. The girls were able to discuss some topics that Harry and Ron didn't enjoy listening to. Or sometimes, like today, Ginny was asking for advice about classes and Harry.

"I'm really not sure why Harry hasn't said anything to you, I mean, I see the way he looks at you, he's impressed by you. But he might still be seeing you as Ron's little sister, he probably doesn't want to make Ron mad you know?"

"Why would Ron care? I mean Harry is his best friend right?" Ginny questioned.

"Well, at least Harry is being considerate, Ron is very protective of you, look what happened when you were dating Michael Corner? And when you were dating Dean earlier this year, he wasn't too happy, you guys went through a rough patch."

Ginny groaned and laid her head on the table, Hermione was right, Harry must be afraid of upsetting Ron, but instead she was the one being hurt by his inaction. Even though she had dated other boys, she was always hopefully Harry would come around, and it seemed like Ron might ruin it.

"Ron may or may not react badly, but I guess Harry is afraid to take the chance, it might be up to you to start something, either by talking to your brother, or by talking to Harry," Hermione advised her.

The pair quickly moved on to safer topics as they saw more Gryffindors, including Harry and Ron, enter the Hall to eat. As all of them were eating, they looked up automatically when the owls came in with the post. As they flew around, one swooped down and landed in front of Hermione. She gave the owl some bacon and picked up the letter.

_Princess,  
Just hoping that you might sit with me in Potions today?  
I'm sure your two friends would be willing to give you up for one period right?  
Yours,  
Draco._

Hermione smiled and looked for Draco, giving him a nod, eyes shining. They shared a few classes together but they only really sat together in Arithmacy and Ancient Runes. It would be interesting to see how her friends took being separated from her, although, it's not like they needed her help anyways, Harry had his Potions book, as suspicious as it was. Hermione was excited at the prospect of Potions with Draco, it was one of his best subjects, when he was trying; at least now she knew he wasn't going to be whispering snide remarks. She hummed on her way to their first class. Her good mood lasted all day, she was still humming as the trio finally made their way to Potions later that day.

Ron and Harry were too preoccupied to notice her good mood, but as the trio entered the dungeons, they looked up when Hermione didn't take her regular spot in between them. Instead they watched as she took her seat next to Malfoy, Zabini sitting on her other side. Ron started to growl, face turning a deep shade of red. Harry was tempted to march over there and drag her away but decided against it; if Hermione started studying with the ferret, then maybe she'd overhear something. Besides, they had been fighting a lot over the use of his potions book so maybe a small break was for the best. But did she really have to sit with Malfoy? If she wanted a break, she could have easily sat with Ernie or Padma. Harry looked to the door, along with the rest of the class, when they heard a loud choking noise, Pansy standing in the doorway.

Draco couldn't help but give her a nasty smirk when he saw her there, mouth hanging open. She was glaring at Hermione, before straightening her back and gaining a triumphant gleam in her eyes. He scowled at her as she walked by and took a seat next to Theo at the desk behind theirs. Draco caught Blaise's eye, with Pansy behind them it would be all too easy for her to slip something into Hermione's potion. Professor Slughorn came in and started telling the class about their lesson, today they'd be making the Volubilis potion, with Hermione's hand shooting in the air as to what it was.

"Yes Miss Granger, since no one else will venture a guess," Professor Slughorn smiled.

"The Volubilis Potion is a potion that changes the drinker's voice. It is often used as a restorative potion to those who have lost their voice or whom have had the Silencing Charm cast on them."

"Yes, very good Miss Granger, 10 points to Gryffindor, now everyone begin. At the end of the class, you and your tablemates will be casting a Silencing Charm on each other and seeing if you've correctly made your potion, get to work."

Draco's eyes widened as he heard this, Pansy giggling behind him, she must have known what they would be brewing today. Otherwise she wouldn't have brought in Angel's Trumpet to try and poison Hermione. Beside him, he saw his girlfriend open up her book and start gathering the necessary ingredients; she was completely ignorant of what was going on in his head. Blaise leaned over to look at Hermione's book, saying he never brought his own, and started in on his own potion. Draco sighed inwardly and started too, he couldn't afford to fail any more assignments. He'd just have to wait for Millicent to come in and make a plan when it counted.

Hermione was humming as she worked, focusing on her potion, it was nice to not be bickering with Harry or Ron about that blasted book. She didn't mind sharing with Zabini, he seemed polite enough; when she looked over at Draco, she smiled, happy to see him working at a good pace.

"Don't forget to add the Stewed Mandrake before the Syrup of Hellbore," Hermione gently reminded him, seeing him reach for the Hellbore.

"Oh, right thanks, that might have ended badly for me," he chuckled, dropping the Mandrake in the potion.

Hermione nodded her head and went back to her cauldron. Class was coming to a close, they should be done with their potions soon, any minute now Millicent would be coming in and distracting Professor Slughorn. He had been wandering between the desks as they toiled away, keeping an eye on everyone's progress; he seemed slightly surprised to see Draco doing his work so efficiently today but made no comment. As Professor Slughorn was telling everyone to finish up and prepare to test their potions, Millicent burst through the door.

"Sorry for interrupting Professor but um, I-I was told to come down here and see if you had any spare Murtlap Essence, there was a bit of a mishap in Transfiguration."

"Not too serious then, if no one is heading to the Hospital Wing?" Slughorn asked, heading to his storeroom.

"No, just some nasty scrapes, but Professor McGonagall, ran out of her own supply and needs some more," Millicent told him, looking over at Pansy nervously.

Hermione had, like everyone else, looked away from her potion when the door had opened, and Draco hadn't acted fast enough before Pansy upended her jar of Angel's Trumpet into Hermione's cauldron.

Pansy, who had been expecting Millicent, had already snuck up behind Draco, standing in place, just waiting for the door to open. She grinned when Draco glared at her, and quickly went back to her seat, the Mudblood completely unaware; for all her supposed talent, she really wasn't very observant.

Draco watched at the Angel's Trumpet dissolved into the potion, unsure of what he should do. He didn't want to frighten Hermione, telling her that his fellow Slytherin was trying to kill her. Looking at Blaise, Draco was rapidly thinking of how to fix this. Blaise narrowed his eyes, knowing that Pansy had been successful and was thinking of spilling Hermione's cauldron when Professor Slughorn spoke up.

"Alright students, everyone pour some of your potions in a vial and get ready to test it."

Hermione scooped up her potion and looked at her tablemates, waiting for them to do the same. She noticed their wide eyes as they glanced at each other over her head but before she could question them, Draco spoke up.

"Hey Hermione, you have faith in me right?" Draco asked, as he scooped up some of his own completed potion.

"Well of course I do, why?"

Blaise watched, unsure what Draco had planned, still ready to knock the vial out of Hermione's hand. He had his own vial ready, wondering if he could make a swap while Hermione wasn't looking, was that what Draco was trying to do?

"Well, as my newfound efforts to stay a good student, would you try my potion, and I'll try yours?"

Hermione smiled at him, he wanted to show her that he was still a capable student. She nodded in agreement, she had watched him brew the potion and knew it was done right. And he had to know that her own potion was completely safe, so she handed over her vial, and grabbed Draco's.

Draco visibly relaxed when Hermione agreed, at least now she wouldn't be poisoned, he could think about the consequences later. When he looked over at Blaise, he saw the slight shake of his head and worried look in his eyes. Before either of them said anything, Hermione asked a question.

"So I guess Blaise can go first?"

When Blaise nodded his head mutely, she raised her wand and cast the spell. He quickly knocked back the vial and waited a moment before opening his mouth and asking if it worked.

"Ah, congratulations Mr. Zabini, full points!" Professor Slughorn called out, watching the students drinking their potions.

Okay, me next," Hermione smiled, waiting for Draco to cast the spell on her.

"_Silencio_."

Hermione laughed, silently, before raising her vial and drinking the potion. "Ta da," she called out, smiled at Draco. Draco barely heard Professor Slughorn congratulate him on his potion, granting him full marks. Then Hermione raised her wand and silenced Draco, waiting for him to drink the potion. Draco took a deep breath, raising the vial to his lips, preparing himself to drink it-

"NO!"


	13. Scathing Remarks

Everyone turned around as Pansy practically leapt over her table and knocked the vial out of Draco's hands. Pansy was worried when she saw them switch vials, there was no way that he knew what she had added to the Mudblood's potion. He couldn't know what kind of risk he was taking, she was hoping that he would fumble it, knowing that it was tampered with. But he was actually going to drink it? He was going to risk his life for hers? Something was going on here, and she was going to figure out why he hadn't just let her drink it.

"Is there something you want to share with us Miss Parkinson?" Professor Slughorn asked, eyebrows raised.

"Umm, I-I could have swore I didn't see her add the Syrup of Hellbore to her potion, and I don't want Drackie to drink it," Pansy stammered an excuse.

"Well you should have been watching your own potion more carefully than Miss Granger's, I can tell you added too much Honeywater, your voice is a bit higher pitched than normal. I saw Miss Granger add the Hellbore, I was walking by when she did. Her potion looked completely presentable to me, but since we've already emptied the cauldrons we can't test hers."

Hermione threw a dirty look at Pansy, she was trying to say her potion was subpar. Sometimes she wondered why some Slytherins spent so much energy on her.

She just sighed and pointed her wand at Draco, "_Finite Incantatem_."

Draco cleared his throat, glaring at Pansy; she had caused a scene in front of the entire class, but at least she stopped him from drinking the poison. He hadn't really thought about her stopping him when he proposed the switch but now it seemed obvious that she would.

"Class is dismissed, Miss Parkinson, stay after class for a moment, I wish to speak with you."

Everyone cleaned up their supplies and left the class, Draco throwing his arm over Hermione as they excited; sharing a relieved glance with Blaise.

"Ugh, I know Pansy doesn't like me but I mean really? Destroying my potion like that," Hermione raged as they made their way to lunch.

"She's just jealous of your relationship," Blaise commented, giving Draco a knowing look.

Draco squeezed Hermione's shoulder as he looked over at Blaise. What was that look for? Was he being supportive of his fake cause, or did he realize how serious he was about her? He shrugged, Blaise would bring it up later and he'd deal with it then, for now he was going to eat lunch with the Gryffindors. Blaise hesitated, wondering if he should follow Draco, he wanted to talk with him about this relationship. But instead he decided to sit at the Slytherin table, he didn't need to make any waves right now, besides he had to keep an eye on the girls.

Hermione led Draco to their usual spot, Ginny sitting across from them once more and Neville sitting beside the Slytherin. Harry sat beside Ginny and Ron sat on the other side of Hermione; both ignoring the blond interloper.

"Hey Seth, are you down to study tonight? I have a lot of Transfiguration homework and I think I'm going to need Hermione's help," Ginny asked, ignoring Harry's disgusted look.

"Sure Red, I'm down," Draco assured her. That meant he got to spend more time with Hermione, and Ginny, she was turning out to be pretty cool. Plus he had some work that he needed to do, tomorrow was another Prefect meeting and that was going to take up an hour of his evening at least. But at least he'd figure out his new patrol schedule, that assured that him and Hermione would have at least one night a week to figure out his predicament. Then in a few weeks they could test it over the Easter holidays; but if they did get it working, that meant Headmaster Dumbledore would be dying.

Hermione saw Draco's face pale all of a sudden; she reached over and squeezed his hand. When he looked up at her, she saw fear in his eyes, it tore her heart in two. He looked over her shoulder and Hermione followed his gaze. Up at the Head Table, she saw Professor Dumbledore talking with Professor McGonagall, his blue eyes twinkling. Turning back to look at Draco, she squeezed his hand and pulled his attention back to her. She cupped his cheek and leaned over to kiss him, trying to ease his thoughts. Feeling him relax against her lips, she smiled knowing that she had this affect on him.

They were interrupted by a coughing fit, Ron spazzing out next to her, Harry's face turned away from them. Hermione sighed, Ron was allowed to snog Lavender grossly in front of everyone yet he freaked out over a small kiss. Draco just laughed at their reaction, if only they had been there to witness their first kiss. He leaned over and started nibbling on her ear, making her giggle uncontrollably; Ron suddenly standing up and moving further down the table. Hermione lightly slapped his chest, blushing like mad at his brazen actions; Draco couldn't help but smirk triumphantly at Weasley, his buttons were way too easy to push.

The couple kissed once more before parting after lunch, each heading to different classes. Ron was still fuming at the spectacle from lunch and walked ahead of her and Harry.

"Hermione, must you do that?"

"What, Ron does it in front of us, much more than what Draco and I did, it's gross. I've had to put up with his actions, so he can deal with mine!"

"But Hermione, Malfoy?" Harry tried once again.

"We're not discussing this anymore, I'm dating him and I'm allowed to kiss him, get over it. Or at least stop making me feel bad about it, I lo-really care for him, you just don't understand," Hermione admonished, blushing at what she almost admitted to Harry.

Harry shrugged his shoulders in defeat as they headed into Charms; he silently vowed that he'd convince Hermione of how evil Malfoy really was. He started to concoct a plan, he was there when the ferret was discussing his Dark Mark, so all he had to do was find a way to show it to Hermione, then she'd believe him. Unfortunately, the Slytherin had been wearing long sleeves all year, even in warm weather; obviously he was trying to make sure none of the other students became aware of it.

The rest of their classes passed without incident, Ron was still ignoring Hermione though. Hermione made her way to dinner with her bags, not waiting for Harry or Ron to drop theirs off. She sat next to Ginny, who was sitting at the table reading her Transfiguration book, and sighed.

"Did Ron act this way with you all the time when you were dating Dean?"

"Oh yea, it was bad, he felt like I could really do better, but at the same time, Dean was one of his mates you know? It's like he didn't even consider anyone's feelings when he'd rant about it. I know he's an older brother but he needs to calm down. Even the twins weren't this bad."

"Yea, I don't think he's going to talk to me much unless I agree to stop dating Draco."

"Don't do that, Ron needs to learn that he can't have everything his way," Ginny stated.

"Yea, he's just going to have to get over it. Have you thought about talking to Ron, you know about Harry?"

"No, I'm not sure what to say, I might just talk to Harry, and then let Harry deal with him," Ginny giggled.

The pair quieted down, moving onto the topic of homework when the others joined them finally. Ginny, trying to offer an olive branch, asked them if they'd want to come study in the library with her and Hermione.

"Why don't we just study in the Common Room then?" Ron asked pointedly.

"Because, Seth is coming too, duh, and I doubt you want him there, he's not a Gryffindor after all," Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Who the hell is Seth? I've never met him!" Ron hollered.

"Well then, come to the library with us, you can meet him there," Ginny said sweetly, an evil grin on her face.

Hermione poked Ginny in the ribs, what was she thinking inviting them? This wasn't going to end well. The group quickly ate dinner, really needing to study, Ron and Harry heading back up to the Common Room to pick up their bags. As they walked away, Hermione could hear Ron mumbling about Ginny needing to slow it down with the guys. Ginny snickered at the comment, she could have been in a committed relationship and he'd still say something like that.

"Gin, you know this is going to get ugly," Hermione chided.

"It's not **_my_** fault that he doesn't pay attention, really he should have known who we were talking about. I mean, he was there at lunch yea? Just goes to show how much he pays attention."

"What are you too chattering about over there, this is the library, shh," Draco teased, raising a finger to his lips.

"Better prepare yourself, Gin here inviting Harry and Ron to come study with us," she warned.

"This outta be fun then!"

Ginny and Hermione shook their heads as they sat down with Draco pulling out their books.

"Ugh, I really need to focus on my Transfiguration, I'm not looking forward to that O.W.L.," Ginny complained.

"Eh, you'll be fine Red," Draco assured her, he was awarded a grateful smile from the younger girl.

The group quickly fell into an easy pattern, Hermione dividing her time between helping Ginny with Transfiguration and Draco with Ancient Runes. Before long Harry and Ron came trudging into the library, packs hanging off their shoulders. Ron stopped cold when he saw who was at the table, mouth falling open as he pointed at the group. Harry stomped over to the table and sat next to Ginny, pulling her chair closer to him; Ginny's face turning red.

"Ron, no yelling, this is the library, come sit down so we can study," Hermione called out.

Ron mutely came to the table, looking between his sister and his friend.

"Ron, meet Seth, Seth, my brother Ron," Ginny introduced them.

"I know bloody well who this is, it's Malfoy."

"Well, I came up with a nickname for him, now sit and be friendly, help me study for my O.W.L.'s."

Ron sat on the other side of Ginny, facing the Slytherin, "Why are you here Malfoy, I thought you'd just have your father pay for you to pass all your classes? Oh wait, he's unavailable isn't he?" Ron snarled nastily.

Hermione's eyes went wide, how could Ron say something like that when Draco had been trying to get along. Ginny stood up and was about to yell at her brother when Harry pulled her back down into her seat. Draco just leaned back, hands behind his neck, and his face a mask of indifference; Hermione could see the anger and pain raging in his eyes though.

"Well Weasley, why would I need to pay when my brain works well enough, I am 2nd in our year. Although it appears that you have neither, no wonder you aren't doing so hot," Draco threw back, watching as the other boy turned red.

"Watch your mouth Malfoy," Harry hissed.

"Well you see Potter, as far as I'm concerned, Weasley here forgot who he was dealing with. Just because I haven't thrown any scathing remarks your way doesn't mean I forgot how. If he's not careful, he'll be redder than his hair."

"Malfoy, you're so full of yourself, just do us all a favor and get arrested like your dad, the Dementors would love to have you I'm sure."

"Jealousy doesn't look good on you, just because you're too poor to pay attention, doesn't mean I am. I know a beautiful witch when I see one and I'm not going to pass up a chance with her. You snooze, you lose."

"Stop talking about my family like that, you arrogant self-centered prick."

"I wasn't talking about your family, I was talking about you. And I wasn't talking about money either; you are severely lacking in perception and brains or you would have seen what was right in front of you," Draco jeered.

Ron's anger disappeared and was replaced by a confused look; he glanced between Hermione and Harry, wondering if they knew what he was talking about. Hermione just looked at Draco, realizing just how much attention he gave her as they were growing up. He had confessed to wanting to get to know her all these years but she hadn't realized how strong his feelings were until just now. Clearly he had been watching her from afar for awhile now, learning a lot about her over the years.

"Come on Ron, let's just go study at a different table, we already came all the way down here, come on Ginny."

Ginny looked over at Harry, surprised by the invitation, only to see him glaring at Draco. She shook her head, she wasn't going to sit with Harry if he was treating her like a child that needed protecting. Turning her attention back to her book, she felt the tears threatening to spill; why couldn't he invite her because he wanted her company? Instead he was inviting her because he felt Draco was dangerous and she couldn't fend for herself, it was insulting. Harry waited a few moments before realizing Ginny wasn't going to join him; Ginny looked up as he shook his head, disappointed. Her eyes narrowed, she was tired of Harry's attitude, he was their hope for a brighter future so he could at least try to be a bit brighter than her idiot brother.


	14. Dealing With a Problem

"Hey Seth, you're good with Potions right?" Ginny asked.

"Yea, of course, it's one of my favorite subjects," he responded, looking up at Ginny

"Could you help me with this essay we're supposed to write for Slughorn, it's about the uses of Moonstone and why it is such an integral part of the Draught of Peace."

Draco smiled, "Heh, in our 5th year we had to brew that potion, be glad you only have to write about it. I'd be happy to help ya Red."

Hermione snuck a glance at Harry, "Harry was also assigned a twelve inch essay by Snape that year on the properties of Moonstone."

Ginny turned her hardened eyes to Hermione, and she instantly understood, Ginny remembered all of this and was purposely trying to anger Harry. Hermione could see Harry clenching his fist at the neighboring table, Gin had succeeded in making him angry but what was she going to do now? Hermione kept an eye on her two friends, making sure they didn't suddenly cause a problem and slowly finished her homework. Occasionally someone asked her a question, which she was happy to answer, and before too long, they were done with their work.

"Wow, I never knew a night of some serious studying would make me feel better, I've been hanging out with you too much Princess," Draco teased, nudging Hermione.

"Are you all caught up now?"

"I think so yea, is this how you feel all the time?"

"Yup, it's a great feeling knowing you get work done ahead of time, then you have all this time when other people are doing homework," Hermione explained.

"But it's nice to joke around and stuff, then time passes and you just happened to procrastinate," Ginny chimed in.

"Yea, but if you do your homework first, then you won't have all the last minute pressure to get it done, makes life a lot more relaxing," Hermione told her as they made their way to the Common Room, leaving the other two in the library.

"Yea, good point, but I just take after Fred and George, I don't like studying. Friends and jokes are more fun. And Quidditch."

"I'll agree with Red there, Quidditch is fun, too bad I didn't have time this year."

Ginny glanced over at the blond, he really seemed to miss flying, why did he not have time for it? She knew better than to ask though, it seemed like a touchy subject. Instead she asked a different question, "So do you guys want to help me study for my O.W.L.'s some more?"

"I'd be happy to Gin, you know that, I'm not sure when though, we have the Prefect's meeting tomorrow and that's when we'll get our new patrol schedule, so I'll let you know after that yea?"

"Sounds good, I really want to impress mum with my O.W.L.'s, even if I don't like studying."

"Just make sure to get more than your brother, that'd make my year," Draco confided with a wink.

"Speaking of my brother, I'm sorry for what he said earlier, that wasn't right. I mean, I know you guys have had a lot of issues in the past but if Mione trusts you, I do too," Ginny told him with a bright smile.

Draco looked at her a moment before nodding his head, her assurance meant more to him than he would have thought. "Thanks Red, I appreciate that."

Hermione draped an arm around each of them, grinning happily, and they all started laughing. The rest of the trip up to the tower consisted of lighter conversation, the older pair telling Ginny about their O.W.L. experiences. Ginny bid Draco a goodnight before leaving the couple alone on the landing, happy to give them space.

"Thanks for staying in the library tonight, and not exploding at Ron, for what he said."

"It was hard, but I wasn't going to let him see me mad, and besides, my Father made a few bad choices and he has ended up where he is. Although that doesn't give Weasley the right to comment about it. Thanks for not holding my family against me Hermione."

"Of course not, that's just not the kind of person I am. Be careful on the way to the dungeons, you might run into Ron and Harry," she warned, hugging Draco.

Draco just chuckled as he lifted Hermione's chin, pulling her closer to him as he kissed her. Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck, missing these kisses, and deepened the kiss. After a few moments, they pulled away from each other, breathless, a flush to their cheeks. Draco was rubbing his girlfriend's sides, happy to have this girl in his arms when they heard footsteps on the stairs, a voice carrying up to them.

"I can't understand them, how could they fall for that ferret's act so easily?"

"I don't know Ron, something really seems off about this whole thing, I mean why did Ginny choose to sit with him and not us?"

Hermione felt tears in her eyes at their words, they didn't understand anything; she nuzzled her face into Draco's chest, arms wrapped around him. She could feel Draco rub his cheek against her hair, comforting her, holding her tight. When the boys came to the landing and saw the couple in front of them, they paused.

"Come on Ron, let's go play a game of chess," Harry suggested, pulling his friend into the Common Room. Harry really wanted to be on good terms with Hermione but she was making it hard, just because she was spying on the snake didn't mean she had to act so cuddly. He hadn't realized they had heard the last of their conversation.

"I swear, those two will never grow up and it infuriates me to no end!" Hermione mumbled from Draco's chest.

"They are your best friends, they'll have to come around won't they?"

"Hopefully."

Draco kissed the young witch's forehead, catching the scent of her hair again. He couldn't get over how wonderful her hair smelled, each time he hugged her; he loved running his hands through those curls.

"I'll see you at the Prefect meeting, I'm not sure if I'll be able to meet you for lunch, I have some things to go over with Blaise."

"That's alright, I don't want to take up all of your time you know, you can have your own time with your friends."

"Yea I know, good night Hermione."

"Goodnight Draco," Hermione reciprocated, giving him one last squeeze.

He watched as she entered the Portrait door, smiling to himself, before heading back down the stairs and to the dungeons.

*In the Dungeons*

"Hey Draco," Blaise called out as soon as he saw his friend enter the dungeons.

He waited until he was sitting on the couch to continue his conversation.

"So Pans was pretty mad that you decided to ruin her fun with Granger; she was ranting about it all through lunch, some of the other Slytherins were wondering why you did it. So I guess you'll have to face the music eventually."

"That's easy. If I had let her drink the poison, everyone would have thought that I was somehow responsible and tricked her. Then I probably would have been expelled for trying to kill a student, since I'm not so much of a dick that I'd let Pans take the blame. I'd rather not get kicked out when I still have work to do here."

"That sounds good enough," Blasie told him, looking around to make sure they were alone, "But you don't have to convince me ya know. I'm not going to judge you about what's going on."

"I had a feeling you did," Draco admitted, not even bothering to lie to his friend.

"I think Pans suspects as well, especially after what happened in Potions. I asked her if she had been trying to kill the girl and she just laughed. I'm not sure if she really was or not, she can't really be that dumb, she's in Advanced Potions after all, she has to know what Angel's Trumpet would do, especially in that amount."

Draco was about to respond when a group of Slytherins came into the room, talking loudly.

"Oh Drackie, there you are, I've been wanting to talk to you!" Pansy called out, coming up to the couch and sitting on his lap; Draco scowled as he tried to push her off of his lap.

"I want to know why you traded Potions with the Mudblood? She would have gotten what she deserved, it's not like you actually care for her right?" Pansy continued, ignoring his attempts to get rid of her.

Draco's eyes narrowed at her words, "So you admit you were trying to kill her Pans? Because let me tell you just how stupid of an idea that was. You know how suspicious everyone is of me when it comes to Potter and his gang, so how do you think it would have looked if she drank some poison and died, when I was sitting at the same table?"

Draco stood up, knocking the girl onto the floor in his rage, "You don't think things through Pans! If I had let her drink that potion, more than likely I would have been kicked out of Hogwarts for endangering the Gryffindor Princess. I mean, I could tell the truth and say it was you that did it, but then, I'm sure the Dark Lord would have had a few choice words to say to you."

Pansy paled at those words, the Dark Lord would have been furious if Draco got into any trouble that would prevent him from completing his mission. And if she let him take the blame, Draco would surely be punished for ruining his own chances just for one Mudblood, no matter how smart she was. Pansy stood up suddenly, tears in her eyes.

"Draco, I'm so sorry, you're right I didn't think. I just wanted her to pay for thinking she has a chance with a Pureblood like you. I won't do anything like that again, I promise. I'll do anything to help you stay out of trouble, please forgive me," she pleaded, wrapping her arms around him.

Draco grudgingly returned her hug, he was still angry at her for trying to kill his girlfriend but he had to assure everyone he was still on their side for now.

"As long as you say you won't do anything like that again. This is why I told everyone not to try anything when it came to her, since everyone would point fingers at me. I can't afford too much attention right now or all my plans would be for naught. I know that you loathe her Pans, but thank you, for promising not to do anything like that anymore."

Pansy wiped her eyes and looked up at the blonde, "You're always looking out for me Drackie, thank you."

Draco glowered at the continued use of that name as he sat back down next to Blaise. He was starting to get a headache from dealing with Pansy; at least she promised not to do anything stupid, she was loyal to him after all, she would do anything to keep him safe. He waited until Pansy and a few of the other girls went and sat by the fire, far enough away that he and Blaise could continue talking.

"Nice performance, I think that just saved your ass from everyone's suspicions. No wonder you are in Slytherin," Blaise praised.

Draco just chuckled at his friend before asking a question, "So do you think Pansy will actually stop messing with her now? Or does she have any other plans?"

"Not that she shared, I think she was too mad at you to come up with anything else. Although, I'm sure she's still going to make Granger's life hell whenever she can, she won't try to poison her at least. Or do any serious harm, although Madam Pomfrey can heal a lot of conditions," Blaise trailed off. With the Medi-witch at the school, there was still a lot Pansy could try to do to Hermione and get away with. As long as it wasn't too serious, the nurse could fix her.

Draco sighed, his hands were going to be full if he had to keep Pansy away from his girlfriend, he looked at his friend, asking for help. Blaise snickered at the blonde's face before reassuring him that he'd be happy to keep an eye and ear out. He admitted that he kinda liked Granger, she may be a know-it-all but really, she was charming when she wasn't mad at you. Plus she always managed to give Draco a run for his money, and didn't back down from a fight. She was the perfect challenge for his friend.

*Gryffindor Common Room*

Hermione walked into the Common Room and sat next to her friends, trying to judge who was winning.

"Come on Harry, your move,"

"I know, I'm thinking, don't rush me!"

Hermione laughed at them, they loved to play chess, and as much as people said it was an intellectual game, she just didn't have a knack for it. Harry only lasted a few more move before Ron declared victory, shaking Harry's hand.

"So, Mione, what was with the library tonight? Going to start studying with the snake instead of us?"

"Well, if you knew how to be civil Ronald, we could all study together," Hermione stated, glaring at the redhead.

"But Hermione, what about at lunch? I mean, I know I asked if you could spy on him for me, but I didn't expect you to get that close," Harry chimed in, sour look on his face.

For a moment, she just sat there, mouth agape and eyes wide, did he really just say that?

She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself; her friends were so irritating lately, were they so closed minded? Opening her eyes, she looked at her two closest friends, not knowing what to say to them. Instead she just shook her head and went up to her bed, not even bothering to yell at them this time. As the Gryffindor flopped onto her bed, she willed herself not to cry; here her friends wanted to believe that Draco was some evil person. They were wrong about him, he was just a child who was trying to protect his family from the Dark Lord, the only way he knew how. But if they knew what Draco had to do, what she was helping him do, she was sure they wouldn't be her friends anymore. And that made her depressed. As she fell asleep, she told herself that she was going to have to speak with the Headmaster about this problem.


	15. Making Nice

*Wednesday Morning*

Hermione knew she looked terrible, she had spent most of the night crying, saddened at the idea of her friends abandoning her. She had quickly gotten dressed and pulled her hair into a bun, wanting to get down to breakfast before anyone else from her House. She was sitting with her head in her hands when she felt someone sit next to her at the table. Not wanting to talk, she chose to ignore them, not looking up or saying hi. Hopefully they'd get the picture and leave her alone. Luck wasn't on her side, instead she heard Neville speak up next to her.

"Hey Hermione, I know this probably isn't a good time, and I really don't want to bother you. I just wanted to let you know, I don't trust Malfoy, mostly because he simply hasn't given me a reason to," he started. He could see his friend tense up beside him and quickly went on, "But I can see that you truly care deeply for him. I have no idea how that happened, or why but you're my friend and I want the best for you. So I just wanted to say that I won't hound you about it and I've convinced a few of the other Gryffindors to drop the subject too."

Hermione looked up at her friend, surprised at his words, "Neville?"

"I mean it, I want you to be happy and so far, I haven't seen you argue with him, you've spent more time arguing with Ron honestly. So he can't be that bad if you aren't yelling at him right? That being said, me, and all the other Gryffindors won't hesitate to kick his ass, all you need to do is say the word."

She couldn't help but laugh, she knew there'd be a long line of her friends that would kick his ass for her, and not all of them would be Gryffindors. "Thanks Neville, that's just what I needed to hear this morning."

He nodded his head and patted her back before turning to his plate. Hermione followed his lead and began stacking food onto her plate, listening to Neville and Dean talk about Herbology. Before long Ginny came and sat by her friend, giving her a quick hug.

"How are you Mione? You kinda look like crap, no offense."

"I feel like I look then. I've been worried about my friendships with Harry and Ron if I keep dating Draco."

"What did they say now?"

With a sigh, Hermione explained to the youngest Weasley what had happened after she had gone up to bed. Ginny shook her head at the boys' reaction, it seemed they would never get over the past. She could tell her friend wanted to say more but for some reason she held back; having grown up with 6 older brothers, you learn when someone is hiding things.

"I know there is more going on than you say Mione, so if you ever want or need to talk about it, I can keep a secret," Gin offered with a smile.

When Hermione nodded, they both tucked into their breakfast, hoping to finish before the boys arrived; Hermione really didn't want to deal with any more conversation about Draco today. Luck decided to smile on them, as they stood to leave the table, they saw the pair walk in; Gin wrapped her arm in Hermione's and led the two of them out the doors with just a quick wave to Harry and her brother. The boys weren't quite awake yet and didn't seem bothered by the fact that they were being left to eat on their own.

"Hopefully you'll be able to ignore them during class, sit with Parvarti or Neville maybe, I'm sure they'd be happy with your company," Gin suggested.

"Yea, that's a good point, Neville told me this morning that he wasn't going to harp on me because of Draco, so I would get a break if I sat with him. I'd sit with Parvarti but then I'd have to sit with Lavender. She's not a bad girl, just that I think she's a little jealous of my friendship with Ron, so it might be a little awkward you know?"

"That's a good point, I forgot about that silly girl, she should be more than fine with you now that you have a boyfriend but some people don't grow up," Ginny snickered.

"Really I only have Herbology with them today, then I've got Muggle Studies and after lunch it's Arithmacy. So I'm sure I could sit with Neville and probably Hannah and Ernie in my first class to take off some stress."

The girls giggled as they walked to Hagrid's hut, Ginny had Care of Magical Creatures so Hermione figured she'd say hi to their friend before she had to head to the greenhouses. Hagrid was more than happy to see her, she hadn't been by to talk in ages now that she didn't take his class. Before leaving to head to Herbology, Hermione promised to stop by more often and to bring Harry and Ron with her. She still felt terrible that she hadn't taken his class this year but she knew she wouldn't have been able to manage it with her elective's; but Ron and Harry should have, they had fewer classes than her. As she headed into the greenhouse, she spotted Neville talking with Professor Sprout; as they finished up their conversation, Hermione asked if she could sit with him today.

"I'd be more than happy to have you sit with me today Hermione," Neville exclaimed with a smile. The two found a place near the front of the greenhouse, by Professor Sprout and waited for the other students to file in. Luckily Ernie and Hannah made it to the class before either Ron or Harry so they didn't get a chance to talk to her, just like Hermione wished. Once the lessons had started, everyone had their hands full with the dangerous plants they were working with, Snargaluff plants. Hermione was glad she wasn't next to Ron; he and Harry were having an exceptionally hard time with them. Luckily for her, Neville and Hannah were great at Herbology and they had collected an ample amount of pods before the class was up.

"I'm glad I was with you today Neville, that was a nightmare. Those vines just kept coming!"

"Yea, Snargaluff Pods can be hard to collect if you don't know what you're doing. It's always best to work in groups when it comes to those plants."

Hermione laughed and the group made their way up to the castle for the next class, Hermione was excited for Muggle Studies. Harry often told her that he couldn't understand why she had such an interest in that class, she had lived as a Muggle for most of her life, just like he had. She had given up trying to explain her choice to him; it was enlightening to see how wizards and witches viewed Muggles. Class went by rather quickly, Hermione was already up to date on the homework, this was one of her easier classes. She had asked the Professor for the month's assignments just so she could work on them at her own pace; of course the teacher conceded, if her best student wanted to get a head start she wasn't going to deny her.

Before long the bell rang and everyone made their way to lunch. Having eaten an early breakfast, Hermione was famished, especially after wrestling with the Snargaluffs in Herbology. As she entered the Great Hall, she quickly scanned the table, looking to see who she could sit with. Hermione almost deflated in defeat, Harry and Ron were already sitting at the table, waiting for the food to appear. Before she could get too sad, she felt an arm link with hers.

"Hey Mione, looking for me?" Ginny asked, appearing next to her friend.

"Actually yes I was, I was hoping I wouldn't have to sit with Harry and Ron, I don't want to deal with them until dinner at least."

"Allow me to help?" Draco whispered from behind them, throwing an arm over each girl and setting his chin on Hermione's shoulder.

Both girls jumped slightly, Draco had a way of sneaking up on them, he was stealthy when he needed to be. Hermione just nodded as she led them over to the Gryffindor table, choosing a spot towards the end with some of the younger students. Draco noticed the dark look Harry threw his way, as well as the glares from the Slytherins across the room. He refused to acknowledge them, he was with Hermione, and together, they'd figure everything out. As he ate, he listened to the two girls chat about lessons and plans for the upcoming weekend. A few times Draco glanced up at Dumbledore, wondering why the old wizard was choosing the die, and why he had to go through with the plan. Hopefully after the Prefect meeting tonight, he'd be able to talk with Hermione about it all. The group enjoyed a quick lunch, heading to their respective classes early. Ginny waved to the pair as she parted from them at the Great Hall, Hermione and Draco walked to Arithmacy together. As the pair sat down, Draco pulled out his quill and some parchment, scribbling something down; he handed it to Hermione, throwing a quick glance over his shoulder. Hermione followed his gaze to the two Ravenclaw students sitting a few rows behind them; they wouldn't be able to talk privately here.

_I was hoping we'd be able to discuss our 'project' tonight, after the meeting, would that be okay?_

Hermione nodded her head before writing a quick message back, 'I was hoping to talk with Dumbledore soon as well. He still needs to fill us in on more of the plan'

Draco read what she wrote, relaxing just a bit. Even if she didn't outwardly appear to be affected by their project, he knew she was always thinking about it and ways to make everything go smoothly. But most of it depended on Snape and the Headmaster, they were the ones who had been preparing for this all year, Dumbledore was more resigned for his death than Draco was. Before he could give it any more thought, the Professor walked in and began their lesson for the day. The rest of the period was spent taking notes and solving complex problems, Draco glad for a distraction.

As the two left the class to drop off their bags, Hermione turned to Draco, "You know, I'm really glad that you sit with me at lunch, it means a lot. I just wanted to let you know."

Draco smiled and intertwined his fingers in hers, "Well, I can't let my girlfriend eat all her meals alone now can I? I enjoy sitting with you and Red, even if none of the Gryffindors really want me there. But at least Longbottom has been cordial enough."

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, Neville told me this morning at breakfast, the he supports our relationship, kind off."

"Kind off?"

"Well he said that he doesn't really trust you, since you haven't really given him a reason to, but despite all that, he wants me to be happy and he won't bother me about you. From what he can tell, I'm happy with you, and you can't be all that bad if I haven't yelled at you yet," she explained with a smile.

"I've seen some of your more passionate speeches, I don't fancy being the target of your wrath any time soon," Draco admitted with a shudder.

Hermione lightly slapped him on his shoulder as she entered the Common Room and ran up the stairs to drop off her bag. As soon as she exited, her and Draco went down to the Dining Hall, ready for dinner, Draco keeping his bag with him. Parting with a kiss, Draco made his way to the Slytherin table, taking his usual spot by Crabbe, Goyle and Blaise.

"How is the whole 'dating' thing going with the Mudblood?" Goyle asked.

"Just fine, she's already fully caught me up on my assignments and even encouraged me to talk with some of my professors on extra credit work."

Goyle chuckled, "Glad that she's working out like you planned."

Draco just nodded and started picking out food for dinner, waiting for his friends to become absorbed in dinner. In just a few moments, he could see Crabbe and Goyle stuffing their faces, so he knew he wasn't going to be overheard.

"How are things Blaise?"

"Good over here so far, I overheard Pansy talking about finding out when Granger was doing rounds this month, not sure what she might do yet though."

Draco tensed, he had hoped Pansy would leave Hermione alone completely after the other day, but it seems old habits dies hard sometimes. He turned and looked over at the Hufflepuff table, wondering if Hermione had talked with the Head Girl yet. Just then Adrian Pucey sat across from him and Blaise, interrupting his thoughts.

"Hey mate, I gotta say, I'm a bit surprised. Angela came up to me this morning, telling me about this new idea she has for the Prefect meeting. Turns out, she wants you and Granger to patrol together, as a way of showing inter-house unity and all. So you better be on your best behavior, no more ignoring your duties."

"Yea, I know. Hermione has encouraged me a lot already. I've even caught up on all my assignments, and if we patrol together, she'll make sure I do my job. I'm surprised you both agreed to it so readily," Draco admitted.

"Well I'm all for House unity, even if most of our House isn't. I've learned a lot from Angela, even if people don't always think highly of the Hufflepuffs, they really are a great group. I think it would be good for everyone to work together, although it is going to be a task to find other Prefects to work with us I'm sure. But you and Granger will be leading the group so make us proud alright? We'll be announcing it tonight at the meeting, so don't be late."

Draco turned and smiled at Blaise, "Well, now Pansy can't do anything once she hears that news, I'll be the one patrolling with her and not Weasley."

"Oh man, I wish I could be there, I wonder who will react worse, Pans or the redhead," Blaised laughed, looking over at the Gryffindor table.

"That is a tough call, I'll be sure to tell you everything later on tonight," he assured his friend.

Draco felt his body relax as he enjoyed dinner and light conversation with the students around him, Hermione had been successful with talking to the Head Girl, and it seemed they were going to be the poster children for some inter-house unity thing. Hermione sure worked fast, and to top it off, it seemed like she had found a way to make him appear more appealing to the other Houses. Slowly, she was chipping away his old image, showing everyone that people deserve second chances.

All too soon dinner was over and Draco found himself waiting near the Great Hall for Hermione to join him. Pansy stood with him, trying to wrap her arms around him and blatantly ignoring his glares.

"See Mione, I told you he was good for nothing, he's still got Parkinson hanging off his arm," he suddenly heard Weasley calling out.

He whipped his head around, looking at the redhead with a dark look in his eyes; no matter how hard he tried he couldn't catch a break between Pansy and Weasley. Pansy scowled next to him, tightening her grip on his arm, Draco gave up trying to get rid of her. On his other side, he saw Hermione berating Ron for his earlier comment, also trying to shrug off the wizard's protective arm. Together the group awkwardly made their way to the Prefect Meeting Room, Hermione silently grabbing Draco's hand for strength. As they came up to the portrait, Weasley pushed his way in front of the blond, opening the portrait and pushing Hermione in, ignoring Hermione's arguments. Draco quickly followed them inside, refusing to release the witch's hand. Draco quickly took charge, leading his girlfriend towards some open seats near the front, choosing to ignore the other two.

Hermione quickly sat down next to Draco, refusing to let Ron bully his way in between them and ignoring Pansy's whispered insults. Beside her, Draco was pulling some more parchment out of his school bag, handing it to Hermione, along with a quill.

"I know you like to take notes, and I didn't want you to have to go grab your bag."

"Thank you," Hermione smiled, he was so thoughtful.

Ron just rolled his eyes, if Hermione had wanted to take notes, she would have brought her own stuff. But he could see Hermione unrolling the parchment and taking the offered book from Draco's hand. She had just positioned the parchment over the makeshift writing surface when the Head Boy and Girl stood up, calling order.


	16. Prefect Meeting

"Welcome everyone, thanks for coming," Angela started, looking around the room. "Tonight's meeting is going to be a little different than before but we'll start with the less exciting news. As everyone knows Easter break is coming up, Prefects are to encourage everyone in their Houses to sign up if they plan to stay. By next Wednesday, we want to have a completed list of the students that will be staying and of those who will be going home. Of course, the Prefects are encouraged to go home, although we would like to have at least one Prefect per House that can stay to help out with everything."

There was a quiet murmur that passed through the room as everyone agreed to check the lists and talk of which Prefect would get stuck at school. As they quieted down again, Adrian stepped forward to continue the meeting.

"Also, Headmaster Dumbledore told us that he wants to have a late spring dance to celebrate the warming weather, since it had been raining quite a lot this last month. Of course the dance will be taking place in the Great Hall but there will be plenty of decorations on the grounds to celebrate the season. So we're going to need everyone that is interested to step forward and we can start making decorating decisions."

This time there were more squeals from the witches, there was going to be another dance so that meant another reason to get all dressed up and look for dates. Hermione shook her head, she would definitely not be helping with the decorations; that just wasn't her thing and there were plenty of other capable witches around to take her place. The meeting continued, Hermione taking notes of anything important and that she didn't want to forget. Finally Adrian took the floor again, it was time to mention the upcoming patrol schedules.

"And now for the final part of the meeting, updating patrol schedules, we are still missing a few schedules from some of the Prefects," he informed them, looking at a few students in particular. "But for the most part we have been able to fit everyone in at a time most convenient for their respective classes and extracurricular activities. There will be a new change for the rest of the year and hopefully the new tradition will continue in the years to follow. I wish we had come up with this idea sooner, but it's better late than never."

Adrian paused as he looked around the room, he saw a lot of faces perk up at the news, "From now until the end of the year, we will be encouraging inter-house unity by partnering different Houses together. We want everyone to give us a list of who they would prefer to work with and possibly a list of one or two people you absolutely cannot work with. It is fine if you want to work with someone that isn't in your year, just as long as they aren't in your House. We even have a couple of Prefects ready to spearhead this movement, Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy."

Pansy immediately stood up and began shouting reasons as to why she would never agree to something like this. She wasn't alone, Weasley was arguing just as loudly as the female Slytherin, as well as a few of the other Prefects. Adrian raised his hands for quiet, eyes narrowing as he glanced around the room.

"The decision has already been made and the schedules are being improvised, for the time being, until everyone has submitted a list, Parkinson, Weasley, you'll be-"

"I REFUSE TO WORK WITH HIM!" Pansy screeched, interrupting the Head Boy.

"If you will allow me to finish Miss Parkinson. I was going to say, you two will be following along with one of the other patrols. I would not have you two working together, the castle would be in shambles and both of you would be hospitalized, I'm without a doubt. Weasley I've paired you up with Goldstein and Abbott, Parkinson, you'll be with Macmillan and Greengrass. Get those lists to us as soon as possible if you want to be paired with someone you can work with. The patrol list will be posted over on the board. The new list will up next week and will be used until the end of the year."

There were grumbles as the Prefects looked around at each other, wondering who to pair with and who not to pair with. Hermione squeezed Draco's hand, a huge grin on her face, the Heads had agreed with her idea, now there was nothing Pansy could do. Ron was just sitting silently in his chair, glowering at everyone and Pansy had detached herself from Draco and was in a heated discussion with the Head Boy.

"Come on, let's go see when we're scheduled, the sooner the better right?"

"Yea, good idea, then maybe we can make a quick getaway while our two watchdogs are distracted," Draco agreed.

Hermione and Draco slowly made their way through the Prefects crowded around the board. Draco using his height to peer over everyone else's head; scanning the paper quickly, his found his name on Friday evening, the night before the train would be taking everyone home, it would most likely be a quiet night for them, perfect. This meant they had two scheduled nights before break that they could work together and get the cabinets working again. And some time before this, he would need to talk to Dumbledore and Snape about how exactly he was supposed to escape the castle and keep his mother safe. As the Prefects started pulling out quills to write down their schedules and new partners, Draco grabbed Hermione's hand, quickly stuffing her notes and everything back in his bag and pulled her out of the meeting room. With all the questions and arguing going on they slipped out of the room easily, Draco leading them to one of the unused classrooms nearby, locking the door and casting a Silencing Charm.

"Well, we're scheduled for Fridays, so that gives us two more nights before break that we can guaranteed work on the project," Draco told Hermione.

"That's good, I've made a list of the spells we discussed the other day that we need to try. We need to test the passage again as well, even if the birds come back as dead, I can probably run some diagnostic spells on them to see what happened to them. I found a few of those as well when I was pouring through books in the library."

"Hermione, how did you have time for all of this?"

"I work very efficiently," she disclosed with a smile.

"So we start our patrols after curfew until midnight, so at least we won't have to get up early and do the morning patrol. It's easier for me to stay up later than wake up early."

"Yea me too, that must be why they posted us at that time, at least they asked everyone if they prefer the mornings or nights, although it must be hard for the people that are scheduled the in-between shifts."

"So, when do you think Dumbledore will fill us in on the rest of the plan? I'm getting slightly nervous about this whole thing you know?"

"Me too, I wonder just how Snape is going to know when you've let the Death Eaters in, is he supposed to be informed? Or would it be too risky for his cover? There are just so many things I don't know about. And Harry is hounding me to spy on you, he thinks this whole relationship is a ruse so I can get information from you. I think it would be helpful if we could prove to him that you don't have the Mark, but what if Dumbledore doesn't want him to know yet? And what about when they find out I helped you with all this?" Hermione stressed, starting to pace.

"Hey, hey, it will be okay. Dumbledore is the one that asked you to do it, they can't argue with him can they? All they'd need is that he asked you to help me and that we couldn't tell anyone about it yet. They may not like the outcome, I'm sure everyone will be confused and angry about it all, but I doubt they'll forsake you. Me on the other hand, I'm sure I'll be hunted down until I can get to the Order and get everything straightened out. Come here Princess," Draco ensured, opening his arms.

Hermione quickly collapsed against him, thankful for his presence. How could they possibly come out of this okay? Sometimes she felt like Dumbledore had too high of expectations of her; how was she supposed to be okay with a plan that means Dumbledore has to die? She could feel warm hands rubbing her back, slowly calming her frayed nerves; this was all becoming too much for her right now. Reaching up, Hermione ran her fingers through Draco's hair, looking into his eyes seeking comfort. Her brown eyes met his silver ones, both needing reassurance.

Draco could see the fear in her eyes and he wished he had been able to keep her out of this mess. He wished he was smart enough to handle this on his own, that way he could keep her safe. But at the same time, he knew he needed her, she was his rock now and he couldn't let go of her. If she hadn't stumbled upon him in the bathroom, he'd probably be dead by his birthday. Draco had never allowed himself to need others; he had to be strong enough to stand on his own, that was the way he was raised after all. But when he looked into her eyes, he knew that they needed each other now more than ever, he allowed himself to care for her, allowed her to bring him into the Light and make him whole.

Leaning down, he claimed her lips with a desperate need, pulling her tightly against him. He could hear her whimper, her own desperation matching his. Their tongues met and their hands roamed, exploring each other's body. Draco could feel her small hands exploring the lean muscles of his chest and stomach; his own were grasping her hips, holding her close. He tilted her head and started sucking on her earlobe, Hermione moaning with pleasure.

Draco sighed with contentment, he could do this forever, but just then, they heard Weasley stomping down the corridor, shouting for Hermione.

"Ugh, really Ron, you don't have to come defend my honor," Hermione grumbled under her breath.

"Well, the door is locked, and the room is silenced, he probably will pass right on by."

"MALFOY WHERE DID YOU TAKE HER?"

"Oh for heaven's sake, he's going to get all my hard earned points deducted!"

Hermione suddenly ran her fingers through Draco's hair, tousling it further, then grabbed his tie, unlocked the door and strode into the hallway, pulling Draco with her. Once they were in view of all the students in the area, Hermione tugged on the blonde's tie, drawing him into a passionate kiss. Draco was shocked by her brazen actions, barely managing to react as he got pulled down into the kiss. He wrapped his hands around her waist, pulling her body close to his, the crowd around them whistling.

Ron heard the commotion and spun on his heel, spotting the two just as their lips met; before he could do anything, he saw Hermione pull away.

"Come on, we need somewhere other than an empty classroom," She purred, spinning around and walking away, tie still grasped in her hand. Draco followed with a provocative smile on his face, following obediently. As they walked past a very appalled Ron, Draco hugged her from behind and nibbled on her neck, causing Hermione to giggle. Encouraged, he picked her up, bridal style and continued down the hall with her, waiting to feel a hex from Weasley. It never came, the redhead was too surprised to do anything but gape as the couple disappeared around a corner, many of the other students doing the same.

"Well, well, my Hermione is quite the lioness," Draco whispered in her ear.

"What can I say, Ron has gotten on my last nerve, especially with all the snogging he's done in front of me. Maybe now he'll understand how it feels. God that was liberating!" she laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"So where did you really want to go?"

"I hadn't really thought that through, you think we'd get in trouble if you came up to the Common Room? I mean, if I don't tell you the password and you don't stay past curfew?"

"I think that's okay, we can ask the Angela or Adrian tomorrow about it. But Astoria , she went into the Ravenclaw Common Room when she was dating that Belby fellow a year ago."

"Well let's go up there for now, and if it turns bad we can just leave. We only have a few hours until curfew anyways so it should be fine."

"It's decided then," he smiled as he put her down.

They held hands as they raced up the stairs, wanting to get there before Ron did. When they got to the portrait, Hermione asked the Fat lady if Draco could come in for a visit. She clearly looked at them like they were up to something but she said she'd allow it, so Hermione whispered the password and the pair climbed in.


End file.
